Dana Point Film Festival (DPFF) is proud to announce the exclusive celebration honoring the 60th anniversary of “The Endless Summer” as a part of the inaugural festival in Dana Point scheduled for May 4–7, 2023. DPFF will screen the iconic film at sunset on Friday, May 5th at Salt Creek Beach Park, where the original photograph for “The Endless Summer” poster was staged. Tickets are available for purchase here: danapointfilmfestival.org. The 60thanniversary of “The Endless Summer” salutes director and producer Bruce Brown’s legacy, while paying tribute to Dana Point, home to this rich history and instrumental to American surf culture. The anniversary is an opportunity to bring people together, highlighting the community that is an integral part of the film’s history.
“We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off our inaugural oceans film festival than with the 60th-anniversary celebration of ‘The Endless Summer,’” DPFF Founder Lloyd Bryan Molander said. “The film is iconic here in the Dana Point community and throughout surf culture. To host a screening of the legendary film is an honor and we can’t wait to celebrate the anniversary together!”
“I can’t believe we are already celebrating 60 years of ‘The Endless Summer,’” Bruce Brown Films’ Managing Director Alex Mecl said. “After all these years, the film is still just as important in American surf culture as it was back then. From the staple poster photograph to the deep-rooted history, this surf documentary has paved the way for surfers for years and continues to be the motivation behind finding that perfect wave.”
“The Endless Summer” is an iconic American surf documentary filmed in 1963 and first released in auditoriums in 1964 before its international release at the Kips Bay Theater in New York in 1966. Directed, produced, and narrated by legendary surf film pioneer Bruce Brown, the movie follows surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August around the world in search of the perfect wave. The release of “The Endless Summer” transformed American surf culture, encouraging surfers to travel and explore the world looking for similar adventures. The film’s imprint on surf culture quickly became apparent and lives on today. Sixty years later, “The Endless Summer” poster art and film have become part of American pop culture and institutionalized at the American Film Archives and various renowned museums, including the Modern Museum of Art (MoMA) in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
In honor of the 60th anniversary, Richard Yelland’s new award-winning film, “Birth of the Endless Summer” is among one of the featured films at the Dana Point Film Festival. The film tells the untold story behind the discovery of St. Francis that ultimately led to the making of “The Endless Summer” and resulted in a deep cultural connection between South Africa and Dana Point. The Dana Point premiere of “Birth of the Endless Summer” will be at Dana Hills Porthole Theater on Sunday, May 7th at 3:45 p.m. Tickets are available here: danapointfilmfestival.org.
Filmmakers interested in submitting their films for the 2024 Dana Point Film Festival can find more information by visiting the festival online at danapointfilmfestival.org. For anyone interested in volunteering for the 2023 Dana Point Film Festival, please visit the DPFF website for details.
