AUSTRALIAN SURF MOVIE FESTIVAL
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Greater Union, Wollongong and Shellharbour
November 27-28
Tim Bonython is a self-confessed wave chaser.
He thinks nothing of monitoring the swell charts, then jumping on a plane with just 24 hours notice, only to sit and wait, camera poised, for hours - all in order to capture the perfect wave.
"I never want to be in a position where I miss a swell," he said.
"I'm very fortunate that I can just get up and go and chase a wave, I'm definitely addicted to it."
The filmmaker is the brains behind the annual Australian Surf Movie Festival, which hits the Illawarra later in the month.
Now in its 12th year, the festival aims to show viewers the best waves on the planet, as well as the stories behind them.
"People love the chance to see these big waves," Bonython said.
"But it's also about the situation behind the wave - it's about getting to the location, watching those swells, how the rider got into surfing. You just get that special viewpoint."
Bonython has travelled to some of the nation's best surfing locations, including the Right in WA, Shipsterns in Tasmania and Pedra Branca, a reef 27 kilometres out to sea.
He also travelled to Tahiti in September, meeting up with Illawarra surfer Dylan Longbottom, for the filming of Point Break 2.
"I have a really special relationship with Tahiti so it was so nice to be able to spend 10 days there shooting this year," Bonython said.
"These surfers are professional athletes - a lot of them are putting their bodies on the line to get the right wave or the right shot, they've got to be as strong as possible."
Bonython has long been a fan of the water, deciding early on that he wanted to combine his passion for surfing with his love of filmmaking.
Enter famous radio announcer John Laws, who gave him his first camera.
"It was sitting on the floor of his house - he told me I was welcome to have it if I could do something with it," he said.
"I'd always loved surfing as a kid so I decided to start shooting surfers - and I've been doing it now for 40 years."
The director believes the adrenalin rush of a big wave is the attraction for audiences, along with the chance to see some of the world's best surfing locations up close.
"People want to be filmed riding the wave of their life and then they want to share that with other people," he said.
"I get a kick out of capturing that - and then when you put the right music and the right audio to it, it feels like you're sitting on the board, it's exciting to watch."