This month, Maine Micro Cinema presents the new documentary, Shoot the Pier, featuring rare film footage of the first surfers in Maine. Local director, Brian Goding, will be present for Q&A following the screening.
Considering its exceptionally rocky shores and chilling water temperatures, the coast of Maine has rarely been considered a destination for surfing in the United States. Despite the harsh conditions, there exists a few dedicated surfers who pursue the perfect wave year-round, donning full body wetsuits to catch winter waves. It’s a tradition that has had very little documentation, but Lewiston-Auburn native Brian Goding stumbled upon a magnificent little archive of film footage that reveals the sport and culture of surfing in Maine in the 1960’s, when surfing was a new concept to most Mainers. In his short documentary, Shoot the Pier, Goding offers Maine’s original surfers a chance to recall the early days of surfing in Maine, complimented by the excellent Super 8 film footage captured by the surfers themselves. It takes us a to a time and place where the waves were undiscovered and a culture was misunderstood.
“Shoot the Pier” trailer:
Follow the movie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mainesurfing
Maine Micro Cinema (MMC) is curated by local cineasts, Colin Kelley and Craig Saddlemire, who host regular screenings of work by Maine video artists as well as work featuring Maine stories and issues. The goal of each event is create an encouraging and intimate environment for artist and audience alike, where honest and open discussion about independent cinema can thrive. All MMC screenings take place at She Doesn’t Like Guthries, where the food is tasty, the viewing is free, and the screen is always moving.