PHOTOS: ‘JAWS’ Surf Movie a Festival Hit

By Madeline Ziecker

Photo by Madeline Ziecker.

An audience of over 500 people came to the MACC on the final night of the Maui Film Festival, Sunday, June 17, to see the US premiere of JAWS: Changing The Game.

The surf documentary is produced by local director Wangdu Hovey and his Peahi Surf Media team. It stars twin bothers DK and Shaun Walsh – younger siblings of Maui-raised surf star Ian Walsh.

Other familiar faces in the film include Brazilian Jaws paddle-in pioneer Marcio Freire, Australian 2012 Billabong XXL “Ride of the Year” finalist Jeff Rowley, Nakoa Devoite, Paige Alms, Francisco and Niccolo Porcella, the Rivers twins, Dave Wassel, and Maui-bred Innersection winners Albee Layer and Matt Meola.

The film is about 46 minutes long and includes surfer interviews, some impressive Jaws footage, decent music selections, and of course a bit of humor.

Photo by Madeline Ziecker.

The premiere began with a pre-reception at 8 p.m. where attendees and some of the film’s surfers gathered to eat, drink, talk story, and eventually wait in a long line to get in.

Before the show began, members of Maui Film Festival and the film’s production crew threw out free sponsor giveaways to the audience. Because the event coincided with Father’s Day, three lucky dads each got to take home a new surf board.

When the film was finally underway around 10 p.m., seeing the (for many, familiar) monster waves of Jaws on the big screen was a treat for an audience of local surfers and supporters.

Photo by Madeline Ziecker.

Family and friends in the audience led a series of claps, hoots, and hollers throughout the show at key points, amping up a room already full of adrenaline and admiration.

DK Walsh, Shaun Walsh, Albee Layer, and Matt Meola weren’t able to make the premiere because they have jetted off to chase bigger, better summer swells while Jaws is quiet.

Hovey plans to do some more local screenings of ‘Jaws: Changing The Game’ in the Fall. To keep updated on the Peahi Surf Media project and future screening times visit their Facebook page.