Surfing the waves and facing the demons beneath
A documentary film following the journey of a female surfer who has a fear of drowning comes to cinemas in Shropshire this winter.
BIG vs SMALL is a film about power and strength on top of the water, and facing demons under it.
It will be screened at kinokulture in Oswestry on November 9 and the Sparc Theatre, Bishops Castle, January 12.
The film tells the story of Joana Andrade, an elite big-wave champion surfer nicknamed the ‘tiny fighter’. When Filmmaker Minna Dufton started her documentary about Joana, who rides the powerhouse waves at Nazaré, Portugal little did she know the athlete harboured a deep secret.
By way of explaining the safety equipment big-wave surfers use, Joana shared her deep fear of drowning, something many big wave surfers share. This led to the surfer meeting with with Finnish world champion free diver, Johanna Nordblad for the most unusual of training sessions.
The film explores how Joana uses the sport as therapy to recover from a devastating childhood experience and her resulting battle with substance abuse.
