It’s an interesting time to be a surf enthusiast these days. Web clips are a dime a dozen – especially as you scroll through your favorite social network. Creativity is in everyone’s hands now, which can be empowering, but it also means there’s so much to sort through to uncover the truly remarkable. Nathan Oldfield has been making surf films for the better part of a decade and a half. And what unites his films in a world where surfing’s outer limits continue to expand is that he eschews documenting progression for capturing the feeling that left each and every surfer enamored in the first place. Nathan’s most recent opus, Church of the Open Sky is in that vein and currently available on Vimeo-on-Demand.
“I’ve been making surf films independently now for over fifteen years now (but it’s never been my day job, I’m also a primary school teacher) and the landscape has definitely changed in that time,” said Nathan. “It’s an interesting and challenging time to be a surf filmmaker, in this brave new world of two-minute web clips and digital distribution. For this film, I have decided to avoid distributors altogether and to just have a go at it on my own… It’s a risk because I’ve poured so much of myself into this film, my time, my money, my energy and my heart. But because I’m a self-funded independent filmmaker, I want to have a shot at being independent in how I share the film with the world.”
Nathan’s newest film, Church of the Open Sky is available now on Vimeo-on-Demand. You can check it out here!
