Pro surfer Walsh hosts Oahu screening of new film

Few people know what it feels like to be in the lineup at a surf break when monstrous waves begin to roll in.

For Maui’s Ian Walsh, it’s a pretty common occurrence. On Dec. 2, he’ll pull the curtain back and give audiences an inside look into the amount of work it takes to be in the right place at the right time in order to ride those mountains of water nearly everyone else tries to avoid.

“Distance Between Dreams” followed Walsh, his brothers and surfing buddies as they chased some of the biggest waves the ocean had to offer. And as it turns out, some of the gnarliest footage in the film comes from Walsh’s backyard break, Jaws, during last winter’s epic surf as a result of El Nino conditions in the Northern Hemisphere.

“This film offers people a really in-depth look and feel for what we as surfers’ experience when trying to paddle into some of the biggest waves in the world,” Walsh said in a statement. “The sheer talent of surfers charging big waves right now, matched with advancing safety technology and innovations in board design have helped progress big wave surfing to heights that we couldn’t (have imagined) just a few years ago.”

Produced by Red Bull Media House in association with Freeride Entertainment, the Rob Bruce-directed documentary provides a first-person look at Walsh in the water with brothers Shaun, D.K. and Luke Walsh along with professional surfers John John Florence, Greg Long, Shane Dorian and others. Not only do cameras follow them into the ocean — each surfer was outfitted with a waterproof microphone to capture audio while in the lineup, and the final edit of the film was matched to music scored by Grammy Award-nominated producer Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL).

“‘Distance Between Dreams’ shares a look into the big wave world in this current moment of rapid progression unlike anything else out there,” said Scott Bradfield, Red Bull Media House North America head of production and development. “Through immersive cinematography and sound captured with (full access) to Ian’s life, this film opens up a world that only a handful of people will ever experience firsthand.”

Walsh was on Maui to host a premiere of the film at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Nov. 26 in advance of the film’s official release on Dec. 2. He’ll be on Oahu that day for a screening at Turtle Bay Resort; visit win.gs/oahupremiere for more details and ticket info.

Both the film and the official soundtrack will also be available for purchase on Dec. 2 at distancebetweendreams.com. In addition, “Distance Between Dreams” will stream online via Red Bull TV from Dec. 19 through Dec. 26. Visit redbull.com to watch.