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Honolulu Surf Film Festival 2025

July 10–August 3, 2025 

HoMA’s annual celebration of surf culture and filmmaking is back with a selection of shorts and features from Hawai‘i and around the world, present and past.  

The festival kicks off Thursday, July 10, with a tribute to the late Larry Haynes. The opening reception is followed by a screening of his Fluid Combustion 3: Live it. Special guests will be in attendance. Throughout the month, see films that expand the scope of surfing around the world. The festival closes out on August 3 with a special afternoon screening of Surfing, Made in Hawai‘i, produced by Bud Browne Film Archives, followed by a talk story panel of intergenerational surfing luminaries. 

After each screening we invite you to vote for your favorite features and shorts for our Audience Choice Awards. A Jury Award will also be bestowed. All winners will be announced after the festival. 

Major support provided by 

Films

  • Opening Reception + Film: Fluid Combustion 3: Live it

    Thu Jul 10 6:00PM - 9:00PM
    The Honolulu Surf Film Festival opens with a tribute to the late Larry Haynes.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Thu Jul 10
    6:00PM - 9:00PM
    Tickets

  • Fluid Combustion 3: Live It

    Thu Jul 10 7:30PM - 8:30PM
    Released in 1996, this film by Larry Haynes features some of the best surfers in the world riding waves in Hawai‘i, Tahiti, Panama, Indonesia, and Australia.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Thu Jul 10
    7:30PM - 8:30PM
    Tickets

  • The Search for Volcano Island + Return to the Bering

    Fri Jul 11 and Sat Jul 26
    See two coldwater surfing adventures in the remote Aleutian Islands.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Fri Jul 11
    and
    Sat Jul 26
    Dates

  • The Big Sea

    Fri Jul 11 and Fri Jul 25
    This independent documentary seeks to lay bare the link between the surf industry and the environmental injustices in Cancer Alley.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Fri Jul 11
    and
    Fri Jul 25
    Dates

  • Creatures of Habit + Lucuma + Salt

    Sat Jul 12 and Thu Jul 24
    See three films that take you to Chile, Ireland, Canada, and Iceland to tell stories of fascinating people who surf colder waters.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Sat Jul 12
    and
    Thu Jul 24
    Dates

  • Women & the Wind

    Sat Jul 12 and Fri Jul 18
    Follow three women as they sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a 50-year-old wood catamaran in this compelling documentary.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Sat Jul 12
    and
    Fri Jul 18
    Dates

  • Echoes: The George Greenough Experience

    Sun Jul 13 2:00PM - 3:00PM
    Don’t miss your chance to see the George Greenough Experience on the big screen!
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Sun Jul 13
    2:00PM - 3:00PM
    Tickets

  • Surf On, Europe!

    Thu Jul 17 and Sat Jul 26
    A close look at the lives of three ordinary surfers navigating Europe's turbulent waters.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Thu Jul 17
    and
    Sat Jul 26
    Dates

  • NØ_WAY + Glory and Consequence

    Fri Jul 18 7:00PM - 8:30PM
    A double header of high energy surfing from Mundaka to the Arctic!
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Fri Jul 18
    7:00PM - 8:30PM
    Tickets

  • Whomp + Finding True North

    Sat Jul 19 and Sat Aug 2
    Inspiring stories of bodysurfing and adaptive surfing.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Sat Jul 19
    and
    Sat Aug 2
    Dates

  • The Inevitable Return + Aldan Okkar Allra

    Sat Jul 19 and Thu Jul 31
    Two stories of surfers and the relationship to their waves against encroaching interests.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Sat Jul 19
    and
    Thu Jul 31
    Dates

  • Surf Poets Society + Christa Funk: First in, Last Out

    Fri Jul 25 7:00PM - 9:00PM
    An evening celebrating local surf photography and art.
    Honolulu Museum of Art
    Doris Duke Theatre
    Fri Jul 25
    7:00PM - 9:00PM
    Tickets
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Special thanks to our 2025 festival committee members: Manny Aloha and Crystal Thornburg-Homcy. 

Manny Pangilinan

Committee member

Crystal Thornburg-Homcy

Committee member

Banner photo by Mike Ito

Put me on the waiting list