One of the highlights of the recent Bells Beach Surf Film Festival was the screening of Chas Smith’s feature-length documentary TROUBLE: The Lisa Anderson Story.
The film explores the life of four-time World Surfing Champion Lisa Anderson who went from a 16-year-old runaway on bail in Florida to world surf icon who single-handedly raised the profile of women’s surfing to a global level, shattered stereotypes and inspired a generation of women around the world to not just get in the water but RIP!
TROUBLE screened on the opening night of the Bells Beach Surf Film Festival this year and went on to win the festival’s prestigious BEST FILM award. It’s warts and all storytelling captured the imagination of the judges and audience and was a clear reminder that professional surfers are real people… not just walking billboards.
Writer/Director Chas Smith is one of the most respected surf journalists and he was stoked that his film won the award: “Bells Beach means so very much to surfing and to not only have Trouble screen on those iconic shores, but win, is a wildly great honour.
“Lisa Andersen is one of surfing’s most important, powerful figures. The ferocity, grace and beauty with which she surfed transcended the damned, typical “good for a girl” narrative. She ripped, plain and simple, fighting through all too human obstacles along the way.
“Thank you, beyond, for this award. For recognising both the film and the person and a simple, quiet, true story.”
For winning BEST FILM Chas Smith was given a cash prize by the Bells Beach Surf Film Festival. Chas was so moved by the fires that ravaged the Australian coastline in December and January that he decided to donate his cash prize back to the surf film festival and asked it be donated to a bushfire fund in Australia. The Festival subsequently increased the cash prize by 50 percent and donated it to Wildlife Victoria.
What a fantastic gesture from a great writer and filmmaker.
You can watch TROUBLE by heading to Vimeo and buying the documentary today. For a small price, you can download one of the best surf documentaries in recent years that closely explores the life of one of the greats – Lisa Anderson.
Check out the trailer below.
Written by John Foss
