“No special effects, no trick shots, no stuntmen…what you are about to see is real.”
A surfer is towed by jetski onto the tip of a rising wave, the camera pulls back and the wave begins to swell. As your eyes re-adjust to the change in scale, the camera pulls back further, and within seconds the wave has risen to a monstrous 70ft – a thousand tons of moving liquid arching over the surfer’s head. Accelerating up to 55mph, he flies through the arc of rushing water in a race to pull clear before it collapses upon him. This is the beginning of Billabong Odyssey, an epic journey that brought together the greatest surfers in the world with just one goal … to surf the biggest wave in history, and live.
Garnering critical and commercial acclaim across the world, UK viewers finally have their chance to see this awe-inspiring production as Revolver Entertainment releases the film theatrically on 15th October 2004.
Billabong Odyssey offers a breathtaking journey into the world of big-wave surfing. Forget everything you think you know about surf movies, this is a film that shatters pre-conceptions. In addition to boasting one of the most astonishing opening sequences in the history of filmmaking, this three-year, globetrotting quest for the world’s biggest waves is nothing less than spectacular. Unrivalled in its abundance of jaw-dropping footage, the film is also a moving journey into the lives and psyches of the few surfers equipped to ride giant waves. A human tale of triumph and disaster, it has received accolades from critics and audiences alike, setting new box office records for a documentary feature and re-inventing the world perception of a documentary movie.
The genesis of the film came when Billabong founders decided to pay back the sport of surfing by funding an ongoing expedition to find the biggest waves. Equipped with helicopters, back-up teams, rescue ops and medics, the handpicked surfers would be ready to go at a moment’s notice at the first sign of a major swell.
However none of the surfers were prepared for what would follow and the journey’s end sees this disparate group of competitive, conflicting characters uniquely bonded by the terrifying power of the ocean.
Billabong Odyssey culminates in the world tow-in championships at legendary break JAWS, off the coast of Hawaii. A final sequence that almost claims the life of one of the expedition’s top surfers, it provides a nail biting climax to an utterly remarkable and completely unforgettable piece of filmmaking.
All real footage – and all huge! There’s even some windsurfing in there too courtesy of Rush Randle. If you get the chance, you must go and see this film. At least watch the trailer at the link below…
Billabong Odyssey is directed by Philip Boston, has a PG certificate, a running time of approximately 88 minutes and will open on 15th October at:
The Royal Cinema, Royal Square, St Ives, Cornwall
Coronet Cinema, 103 Notting Hill Gate, London – 020 7727 6705
UGC Haymarket, 63-65 Haymarket, London – 0871 200 2000
UCI, Tower Park, Poole, Dorset – 08700 10 20 30
All are showing the film from 15 October.
Other venues tbc.
A surfer is towed by jetski onto the tip of a rising wave, the camera pulls back and the wave begins to swell. As your eyes re-adjust to the change in scale, the camera pulls back further, and within seconds the wave has risen to a monstrous 70ft – a thousand tons of moving liquid arching over the surfer’s head. Accelerating up to 55mph, he flies through the arc of rushing water in a race to pull clear before it collapses upon him. This is the beginning of Billabong Odyssey, an epic journey that brought together the greatest surfers in the world with just one goal … to surf the biggest wave in history, and live.
Garnering critical and commercial acclaim across the world, UK viewers finally have their chance to see this awe-inspiring production as Revolver Entertainment releases the film theatrically on 15th October 2004.
Billabong Odyssey offers a breathtaking journey into the world of big-wave surfing. Forget everything you think you know about surf movies, this is a film that shatters pre-conceptions. In addition to boasting one of the most astonishing opening sequences in the history of filmmaking, this three-year, globetrotting quest for the world’s biggest waves is nothing less than spectacular. Unrivalled in its abundance of jaw-dropping footage, the film is also a moving journey into the lives and psyches of the few surfers equipped to ride giant waves. A human tale of triumph and disaster, it has received accolades from critics and audiences alike, setting new box office records for a documentary feature and re-inventing the world perception of a documentary movie.
The genesis of the film came when Billabong founders decided to pay back the sport of surfing by funding an ongoing expedition to find the biggest waves. Equipped with helicopters, back-up teams, rescue ops and medics, the handpicked surfers would be ready to go at a moment’s notice at the first sign of a major swell.
However none of the surfers were prepared for what would follow and the journey’s end sees this disparate group of competitive, conflicting characters uniquely bonded by the terrifying power of the ocean.
Billabong Odyssey culminates in the world tow-in championships at legendary break JAWS, off the coast of Hawaii. A final sequence that almost claims the life of one of the expedition’s top surfers, it provides a nail biting climax to an utterly remarkable and completely unforgettable piece of filmmaking.
All real footage – and all huge! There’s even some windsurfing in there too courtesy of Rush Randle. If you get the chance, you must go and see this film. At least watch the trailer at the link below…
Billabong Odyssey is directed by Philip Boston, has a PG certificate, a running time of approximately 88 minutes and will open on 15th October at:
The Royal Cinema, Royal Square, St Ives, Cornwall
Coronet Cinema, 103 Notting Hill Gate, London – 020 7727 6705
UGC Haymarket, 63-65 Haymarket, London – 0871 200 2000
UCI, Tower Park, Poole, Dorset – 08700 10 20 30
All are showing the film from 15 October.
Other venues tbc.
