Going Places
Surfline x El Salvador Tourism Board
Documentary Short Film
Role: Executive Producer | Creative Director | Editor
If you could write a script about how surf travel can have a positive impact on a local community, look no further than El Salvador.
Over the past five years, the government has supported myriad events from ISA Champs to CT contests and created the "Surf City" initiative, which invests in infrastructure near surf spots (of which there’s no shortage). The country's president, Nayib Bukele, actually said "we chose surfing as one of the pillars of our future." Which, as far as we know, has never been uttered by any other president anywhere, ever.
In "Going Places," visiting surfer Pacha Light learns about the country's premiere wave Punta Roca from Bryan Perez, its most famous local and El Salvador's first pro surfer. (Who, it should be noted, learned to surf at Punta Roca on half a surfboard.) Pacha then heads up the coast to El Zonte, home of Puro Surf -- a unique hotel/surf academy -- and catches up with founder Marcelo Castellanos, who talks about the performance academy which coaches local surfers. Pacha continues on to meet Suri Barrera, who started Hijas del Mar, a program specifically targeted to helping young Salvadorian girls get in the water.
