Where could be better to host an international surf film festival than San Diego? The city, which has been heavily steeped in surf culture since the sport’s North American inception, is also renowned for its emphasis on the arts.
Started in 2011, the San Diego Surf Film Festival (SDSFF) is now in its sixth year of existence. Festival events will be held from May 10 to 13 at staple surf locations throughout the city.
GoPro, who has been a sponsor since the festival’s beginning, will be offering cameras as prizes for selected filmmakers. Other major companies, like SmartFin and Superyacht Agency, have both come on board to enhance the festival experience for attendees. 
At the May 10 opening night event, SDSFF will honor local and international surf legend, Skip Frye. This VIP event and live art party will be held at Fall Brewing Company, located at 4542 30th St. Hosted from 6 to 9 p.m., tickets will costs $20 per person.
Tickets to festival events are selling quickly, according to Petra Kavanagh of the Misfit Gallery in La Jolla. Kavanagh, along with her photographer husband, Pierce, co-own and operate the Misfit event space and production studio.
“We have already sold out our screening at Bird’s Surf Shed on Thursday, May 11, which will be attended by 200 people,” said Kavanagh. “The rest of the events will occur on May 12 and 13 at the Misfit Gallery, and are limited to 75 people.”
An animated film about the journey to overcome homelessness will also join the lineup of international surf films. Father Joe’s Village’s “Shine” is a three-minute film that depicts a story of hope intended to shift public perceptions of homelessness and inspire action.
“On land and in the water, surfers care about making our community the best it can be,” says Pierce Kavanagh. “SDSFF is screening ‘Shine’ to show that we’re all responsible for making San Diego better, from keeping our ocean healthy to caring for our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Festival-goers can catch Father Joe’s Villages’ “Shine” on Friday, May 12 in the 7 – 9 p.m. film block and Saturday, May 13 during both the 5:45 – 7 p.m. and 7 – 9 p.m. blocks. Misfit Pictures has operated as a production company for 11 years, releasing their first major production, “Manufacturing Stoke,” in 2011. 
Although the actual concept of “Misfit as an art gallery and event space” was conceived in the Fall of 2015, it finally came to fruition last March with the opening of the Misfit Gallery, which is located at 565 Pearl St. “The idea to start SDSFF came while sitting in a Manhattan theater during the New York Surf Film Festival,” said Kavanagh. “We were there in the Fall of 2011 to premiere ‘Manufacturing Stoke,’ and we had so much fun that we came home from that trip and bought the domain name and started from there.”
“Each year we use the festival to give back to local and international charities alike that protect the ocean and/or surf community,” she added. “For the past three years, we have work in conjunction with H2O Trash Patrol, who tirelessly puts in the effort to clean the waterways and beaches of San Diego County. Additionally, we will be having a beach clean up with H2O Trash Patrol on Saturday, May 13 at Cardiff Reef, just North of the river mouth from 9 a.m. to Noon.”
For more information, visit www.sdsurffilmfestival.com.