First Love wins at action sports fest X-Dance
The Australian surf film First Love has won Best Documentary at the X-Dance action sports film festival in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Director Claire Gorman also won the Emerging Filmmaker Award.
First Love follows the lives of three passionate girl surfers (Nikki Van Dijk, Jess Laing and India Payne) from one of Australia’s most isolated surfing communities, Phillip Island – dominated most of the year by arctic waters and outnumbered by boys. The doco explores their dreams to leave the island and go to Hawaii’s North Shore, as they are mentored by four-time world champion surfer Stephanie Gilmore, and other surfing stars such as Alana Blanchard, Coco Ho and Bethany Hamilton. It was filmed during the course of a year, from April 2009.
The film was created by Gorman (director, cinematographer, editor), Clare Plueckhahn (art director, camera operator) and Fran Derham (producer, writer).
