Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton

Here’s a fun one: a documentary biography maverick surf legend Laird Hamilton, screening on the sands of the Newport Beach Club. Filmmaker Rory Kennedy generally makes serious political documentaries with titles like Last Days in Vietnam and Ghosts of Abu Ghraib – she’s Bobby’s daughter, so politics are in her blood – but here she takes a breezy look at the brooding Hamilton, from his upbringing (raised in Hawai’i, kind of a delinquent) through his many, many innovations in the world of big-wave surfing. It’s not a deep dive into his psyche or anything, but the footage looks amazing, and the soundtrack features surf rock classics ranging from the Ventures to the Pixies. NewportFILM’s free screening is followed by a Q&A with the director.