“A Beautifully Intelligent and Poignant Film”

San Jose Mercury News

“A Sensitive and Artful inspection of people who surf”

The Surfer’s Journal

“Swell, as its name implies, builds and crashes, moving us to ride out the emotional wave of the filmmaker’s vision triumphantly.”

Women of Vision Journal

SYNOPSIS
Swell is a documentary shot in Santa Cruz, California. Featured are women longboard surfers whose ages span four generations. It is a portrait of a community which shares their best waves, embraces new comers as well as old timers and comes together in a beautiful memorial, to show respect to the one they lost in the water, surfing. Swell is setting the record straight by revealing that women do surf and do it well!

Length: 23 min.
Format: 16mm, Black and White

PRODUCTION TEAM
Director, producer, editor: Charlotte Lagarde
Creative consultant : Lisa Denker
Camera: Kim Roberts, Charlotte Lagarde, Lisa Denker
Sound: Goro Toshima, Bob Edwards
Music: Vince Wallace
Archival Footage: Bud Browne

CAST
Rosemari Reimers Rice
Jane McKenzie
Beth Pitts
Miranda Pitts
Pamela Pitts
Gena Bergstrom

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SCREENINGS
Roxie Theater (April 2000)
Raphael Theater, San Raphael (April 2000)
UC theater, Berkeley (April 2000)
New York Women Film Festival (April 1999)
New York Shorts International Film Festival (October 1998)
Walker Art Center, Chicago (March 1998)
Canadian International Film and Video Festival (November 1997)
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival (November 1997)
Film Arts Festival (November 1997)
Image Out (October 1997)
Pride Film Festival (September 1997)
University Film and Video Festival (August 1997)
1Reel Film Festival (August-September 1997)
Wine Country Film Festival (July-August 1997)
Marin County Film Festival (July 1997)
San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (June 1997)
Newport Beach International Film Festival (April 1997)
Humboldt Film Festival ( March 1997)
Ann Arbor Film Festival (March 1997)
Women in the Director’s Chair (March 1997)
Patagonia, Santa Cruz (Feb. 22, 1997)
Cinequest Film and Video Festival, San Jose (Feb. 1997)
First Night Festival, Santa Cruz (Dec. 31 1996)
Three Rivers Festival, Pittsburgh (Nov. 1996)
Louden Nelson Center, Santa Cruz (Nov. 1996)
Silent Movie Theatre, Los Angeles (Nov. 1996)
Stanford University, Stanford (Oct. 1996)
Roxie Theatre, San Francisco (Oct 1996)

REVIEWS

"In 1963, the Ann Arbor Film Festival established itself as the first venue, outside of New York City, art circles for 16mm independent and experimental films to make their way to the public..."

Julie Subrin, Angles .........Read the entire review

Swell, a classy little video from filmmaker Charlotte Lagarde, is particularly applicable to the teenage girls out there interested in surfing...

LongBoard Magazine .........Read the entire review

“Swell” takes women’s-eye viewShort film views surfing through women’s eyesTHE SHORT film “Swell,” being shown Sunday at Stanford University, began more than a year ago as the story of four generations of women surfers in Santa Cruz...

San Jose Mercury News .........Read the entire review

In 221 words: Been up to Santa Cruz lately? There are a lot of female surfers up there...

Ben Marcus, Surfer Annual Collectors Issue
..............................................Read the entire review

Swell is Lagarde’s masters thesis project for Stanford University’s Communications School....

SP, Surfers Journal .........Read the entire review

If you thought Santa Cruz only makes into the news for surfing, ceramics, smoling potor the occasional disaster – well, maybe you’re right...

Tyson McCreary, UC Santa Cruz .........Read the entire review

Swell is the story of four generations of women surfers in Santa Cruz...

Deb Hopewell, Wahine Magazine .........Read the entire review

In a filmmaker’s hands vision is a most wonderful tool...

Women of Vision Journal .........Read the entire review

BROADCASTS
KQED (July 1999)
Bay TV (December 1998)
KCSM-SF (June 1997)
KCET-LA (July 1997)

AWARDS
Gold Apple Award, National Educational Media Network 1997
Isabella Liddell Art Award, Ann Arbor Film Festival 1997
Best Representation of Women Award, Humboldt Film Festival 1997
2 stars, Canadian International Film and Video Festival 1997
Honorable Mention, Marin County Film Festival 1997

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