Last night I did something that was, at another time in life, a daily ritual: I devoted my full attention to watching a full-length surf movie, from beginning to end. I got away with this seemingly leisurely activity on a “school night” in the name of “research” because as you open this letter tonight I am probably sitting on a stage in Santa Monica, CA in front of hardcore cinefiles interviewing Andrew Mackenzie, the director of this latest addition to the hall of blockbuster surf films: Trilogy: New Wave starring Griffin Colapinto, Seth Moniz and Ethan Ewing. So in a sense, I had to watch it.

Now you have to remember I’m a little “inside baseball” on these things at this point in life/career and have heard the rumblings around this film for many years — an ode of sorts to the original Taylor Steele film Trilogy starring Andy, Taj and Parko. I also got even deeper in the dugout when I found out my wife went to college with Andrew and would go on to help crystallize the original vision and worked on the treatment with him and his team.

There were times after that when I thought maybe this film fizzled out, lost funding or caught Covid…then I would hear some crazy dispatch from the road about a lost drone, a camera at the bottom of the sea or get glimpses of footage they were experimenting with and I’d get excited that it was back on.

Then I watched Griffin leave Billabong, corporate execs leave Billabong and mostly everyone leave Billabong. Then Seth got hurt and Ethan began dominating on tour and once again and I (wrongly) assumed it was toast. Then there were the sold out live screenings in Australia that started happening. Then more recently, I got word that they finished the film and it had a release date on Apple and Amazon — which turns out is today. And it’s playing in select theaters all over the world starting now. So go watch it for yourself, preferably in a theater. It’s still a treat to see surfin’ on the big screen.

And remember, when any film is finished you must know that a miracle has occurred. Especially in these dark times for creativity and the surf industry. Surf films cost a lot to make and no one knows who funds them. It used to be brands who would hope to elevate and market surfers they sponsor and the merry-go round of art and commerce spun. But now we all know those brands are mostly dead so you have to mix up a sunscreen and energy drink hard seltzer mocktail and hope you don’t go into debt and the company doesn't change corporate execs before your film comes out.

But who has time for all that nonsense? There's a new surf film out today and it’s really good — some of the most progressive cinematography I’ve seen in surfing, with intimate portraits of three of our biggest stars. And the Seth Moniz part at the beginning is a vibe. So in honor of nostalgia and a time when surf films reigned and with hopes that they will again: I’m going to do another thing that used to be a daily ritual: I’m going to watch it again. And again. And again.—Travis Ferré

Watch Trilogy: New Wave on Apple TV here. On Amazon here.