Women’s Surf Film Festival

I finally attended Women’s Surf Film Festival that took place at Rockaway Beach Surf Club on the last Friday and Saturday of July. I didn’t see all the movies (they’re mostly shorts) because I had a surfing lesson in the morning, but what mattered most wasn’t the movies itself. Rockaway Beach Surf Club is a very laid-back place, of the kind that makes wearing anything different than sneakers or flip-flops look dressed-up. And this was my favorite part of the festival – the chill-out atmosphere. Some of us still had sand sticking to our backs and all of us just wanted to have some fun. And we all had one thing in common – the love for ocean and waves. You got relaxed as soon as you walked in. Everyone had sun in their hair, a smile on their face – and a beer, a margarita or a taco in their hand. And every time a movie character caught a great wave, everyone was cheering up.  It was hot, the planes were flying above our heads (the JFK airport is nearby) and the train was running right next to the club.

My favorite movie was a documentary feature about a girl who got so disappointed with a guy that she decided to pack her surfboard into a van and just surf along the New Zealand’s coastline. I would love to make the same trip and experience what she did. This is how you get to know yourself, this is how you can heal yourself – simply go on your own journey. I don’t need to heal myself after a breakup (if anything, it would be him who would need healing, I assure you), but I’m still discovering myself and what I’m capable of – and a trip like that would be a great adventure, as well as an amazing learning experience. I envied her that she could have done that, even though I knew it must have been painful for her, too.  But it’s all a part of the process. No one said I wouldn’t do it one day, a (maybe on California coastline…?)

What I also liked about this festival (and about many events in NY), is that you get to meet new people right off the bat. The first day I came in by myself and there was no chance that nobody would talk to me. I ended up talking to a girl and her friends (a couple), and then to another couple. Had I been standing instead of sitting, I would probably meet a lot of guys, too (how stupid of me). Well, I preferred to watch the movies anyway. It’s just who I am. You need priorities in your life.


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