Shredding is a short surf film program that invites both lifelong diehards and the uninitiated alike to re-examine how surfing is culturally framed. Within the context of the sport, the term “shredding” has had difficulty escaping its mocking association with a certain archetypal image of the surfer, caricatures like Jeff Spicoli, Bodhi, Zack Morris, etc. Rather than merely decrying this apparent lack of representation, Shredding affirmatively undermines those cumbersome and outdated stereotypes by sharing the experiences of those whose very presence on a board redefines the discourse. Through contemporary lenses from as far afield as Morocco to up and down the California coast, we get to see how people are expanding the surf space today. Myriad perspectives, uniquely shaped by similar challenges: feeling seen, gaining access, and eventually, changing that archetypal image of what a surfer looks like.

Each film incrementally opens up that much more space for someone new to try, welcoming their identity and interpretation into the surfing lexicon, with others then feeling welcome to follow suit. After Shredding, it seems irrefutable that surfing really is for everyone. Any time or place they can get to the beach, the rhythmic beat of the waves will be there waiting. Going deeper still, what remains after the shredding of this homogenous cultural image is a shifted focus to what’s actually most important: how surfing makes you feel. The implicit lesson being that, in spite of differences about who that surfer is and where they come from, or their respective struggles at getting there, the joy experienced upon arriving at any place where the waves break seems almost universal. A kindred calling to the water, a sense of freedom, a transcendental escape from temporality, a feeling of clarity, a communing with nature. What Shredding says most emphatically is that surfing is love.

Films by Rabbi Chel Mandell, Lo Frentz, Serra Soyupak, Peter Williams, Nesrine Majzoub, Zachary Zezima, Yusuf Demirörs, and Arne JinAn Wong. Filmmakers will be in attendance!

Showtimes:
Saturday, August 2, 2025: 7:00

Ticket Prices: $13 Regular / $11 Students & Seniors