New Documentary 'Girls Can't Surf' Brings the Quest for Equality in 80s Surfing to Cinemas

It features pioneering female surfers such as Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha and Layne Beachley.
Sarah Ward
December 09, 2020

Thanks to seminal documentaries such as The Endless Summer, excellent action flicks like Point Break and even the formulaic cheesiness such as Blue Crush, surfing is no stranger to cinemas. Big waves and big screens go hand in hand quite often, in fact, as seen in everything from beach party flicks like Gidget, surf dramas such as Drift, docos including Morning of the Earth and even the animated likes of Ride Your Wave.

The next addition to the ever-growing surf movie genre: documentary Girls Can't Surf, which heads back to the 80s and into the backlash by female surfers against the male-dominated industry. Sick of being told that professional surfing wasn't for them — and being considered a gimmick, sideshow and complete afterthought compared to their male peers — a group of women fought back, striving for equal pay and treatment.

Yes, this doco features an important story — as told through interviews with pioneering female surfers such as Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha and Layne Beachley. Behind the lens, it's directed by Christopher Nelius, who is no stranger to the waves thanks to 2012's Storm Surfers 3D.

With summer now in full swing, the arrival of Girls Can't Surf's trailer couldn't be better timed — although you will have to wait to see the film itself. After being selected as part of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, it'll premiere locally at the Perth Arts Festival in January, then hit up Sydney Film Festival's Summer Season and Westpac Openair, before hitting cinemas nationwide on March 11.

Check out the trailer below:

Girls Can't Surf releases in Australian cinemas on March 11, 2021.

Top image: Don King

Published on December 09, 2020 by Sarah Ward
Tap and select Add to Home Screen to access Concrete Playground easily next time. x