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OPPER SPORTS PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES NEW DOCUMENTARIES, EXPANDED COVERAGE OF SURFING CULTURE ON SURFHISTORY.COM
SOLANA BEACH, Calif. – The rise and fall of two of surfing’s most iconoclastic personalities, the real story of women’s surfing not seen in “Blue Crush,” and the greatest moments in Longboard surfing in the past ten years highlight new DVD/video releases by the Emmy award-winning Opper Sports Productions team. Opper Sports also unveils its expanded web site, http://www.surfhistory.com, making it the most comprehensive site devoted to the history of surfing culture on the Web.
“THE SURFER’S JOURNAL BIOGRAPHIES: JEFF HAKMAN/LARRY BERTLEMANN” combines archival footage from Opper Sports Productions’ vast film library with recent exclusive, highly candid interviews to tell the stories of Jeff Hakman and Larry Bertlemann, two of the most distinctive and brilliant surfers of their times. Hakman reigned as the standard of surfing precision and competitive excellence from his astonishing 1965 victory at the first Duke Kahanamoku Invitational to winning the first Pipeline Masters in 1971. Bertlemann’s low-rotation skateboard maneuvers seeded the new surfing school of ‘70s, redefining surfing performance while inspiring the paradigm-busting pool riders of Southern California’s Dogtown skate scene. Their rise to fame and subsequent battles with personal demons have been eloquently documented in this new one-hour edition of “The Surfer’s Journal Biographies” written by celebrated surfing journalist Drew Kampion, with narration provided by Robert “Wingnut” Weaver.
“THE SURFER’S JOURNAL BIOGRAPHIES: GREATS OF WOMEN’S SURFING” is the real story of women’s surfing without the “Blue Crush” Hollywood spin, and the most in-depth look at the history of female surfers on film. Rarely-seen footage of Joyce Hoffman, Margo Godfrey, Rell Sunn, Jericho Poppler, Lynn Boyer and others in big Hawaiian surf proves their commitment and contributions to the sport in the modern revolution decade of 1965-75. Spurned by the male-centric contest scene of the 1980s, the women came back with a vengeance. Leading the charge was Lisa Andersen, followed by Rochelle Ballard, Keala Kennelly, five-time world champion Layne Beachley and many others. Co-written by Drew Kampion and The Surfer’s Journal Editor Scott Hulet, “Greats of Women’s Surfing” is an entertaining historical statement that will stoke girls – and even the most jaded guys.
“TEN YEARS AFTER: HIGHLIGHTS FROM TEN YEARS OF GREAT LONGBOARDING FILMS”: Again, Opper Sports Productions scoured its massive film library to bring the best longboard surfing of the past ten years into your living room. Opper Sports was there to document world title clashes, free surfing at Makaha and Queens, and epic California sessions from Cardiff to Santa Cruz. From World Champs Joel Tudor, Bonga Perkins, Dino Miranda, Rusty Keaulana and Colin McPhillips, to top performers like Josh Baxter, Kevin Connelly, Darrin Ledingham, Lancee Ho’okano and many more, “Ten Years After” is a must for every surf film collection.
SURFHISTORY.COM: THE #1 WEB DESTINATION FOR SURFING CULTURE
SurfHistory.com has expanded its content of surf films, music, art, biographies, great waves travelogues, video-on-demand, and more. New features include over an hour of free video clips on surfing culture, and a surf-themed music library of CDs you can sample online, from progressive Andrew Kidman to the classic Bel Airs. The “Hole in the Wall” online video-on-demand service lets you download and view a diverse collection of surf videos at a fraction of the purchase cost. Surfhistory.com’s free “Clip of the Month” brings you the latest and most dynamic surf sessions around the world filmed by the Opper Sports Productions team (check out Andy Irons and Kalani Robb shredding D-Bah this month). Feature stories written by the sport’s finest journalists examine such topics as surf music, art, historical films, woodies, and skateboarding. This month’s highlight is the biography of legendary surf and rock music artist Rick Griffin written by veteran journalist Steve Barilotti.
For the last twenty years, Emmy-award winning sports producer/director Ira Opper and his production team have traveled the globe to capture the action, personalities and the culture of surfing. Credits include: SURFER Magazine TV series on ESPN, the Frontline Sports series on Prime Network, Bluetorch series on Fox Sports Network and The Surfer’s Journal TV series on The Outdoor Life Network. Opper Sports Productions is the curator of the most comprehensive film library on the sport of surfing in the world.
For more information, log onto: http://www.surfhistory.com
Press Contact: Dustin Hood, phone: 858.481.7283 xt 12
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