PERTAMA: THE RIO WAIDA MOVIE
Nusa Cana’s Telling His Real Story





It’s a rare move within the surfing industry when a sponsor sets out to make a high quality, dramatic short film about one of their team riders. And not just a clip of his latest action in the water, but a very personal profile of what makes a certain surfer click. His very personal story, his motivations, his inner thoughts. But that is exactly what Nusa Cana, Indonesia’s leading rum company, set out to do with Pertama, the Rio Waida movie. Sparing no expense, Nusa Cana, who are also “bringing back the forgotten story of Indonesian rum”, wanted to highlight the rise of Rio Waida as a metaphor for their own company’s rise within its industry.



And provide a re-invigorated passion for the beauty of Indonesia and its surfers. And indeed, something very special happened. Shooting between Australia, Bali and Abu Dhabi with four RED cameras and the best shooters behind the lenses, not only is the footage of this film remarkable, but a strong sense of purpose comes through. Never done before, here is an electrifying fourteen minutes that documents the inner workings of a local surfer’s mind. His struggles as a boy, his challenges as a man and the pride which motivates it all. Not your typical chaos-and-aerials clip, this film is worthy of a much larger screen.



Which is why Nusa Cana is planning on a number of lush premieres at some of the best venues on the island and beyond. “This film has a much broader reach than just Indonesia” says executive producer Andre Congues, “it’s designed to inspire far beyond just the surfing world. This is an inside look at the sport we all love, and yet it also can inspire anyone that has had the courage to follow their dreams”. Dreams indeed, with its ghostly drone mastery and super-slow-motion shots that seem to quiet the frenetic surfing media world and allow a viewer to inspect the almost ballet-like beauty of a world class surfer like Rio Waida at the top of his game.



From director Matt George and maestro cinematographer Fabian Von Holzen comes a different vision. One that goes beyond just the visuals of fast paced surfing put to music. Based on a series of personal interviews, the narration is provided by Rio Waida himself, lending the film a profound presence. Finally, here is a film that is dedicated to an Indonesian surfer from the inside out. A film made in Indonesia, from an Indonesian company, all about an Indonesian surfer. Certainly, a film event not to miss. “Nusa Cana will be premiering Pertama towards the end of September”, says Congues, “and we look forward to sharing something I think we as surfers can all be proud of ”.

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