The first Bass Coast Surf Film Festival will be held at Berninneit in Cowes on Saturday, March 2, starting at 7pm.

Organiser Anneli McKinnon is hoping the island’s surf community will get behind the event, which she hopes to grow into an annual festival.

For now though, she’s presenting a night of surfing on the screen with two short films and two feature films.

“Bigger Than Me” is directed by Claire Gorman who grew up on Phillip Island, and also directed “First Love”, featuring island surfers Jess Laing, India Payne and Nikki Van Dijk.

Her latest film is about a woman taking on the challenge of big wave surfing and is filmed mostly in Hawaii. It just won the Best Surf Film at the London Surf Film Festival.

The second feature “Corners of the Earth: Kamchatka” follows a group of Australian surfers who travel to far east Russia to go surfing.

“It’s just stunning, there’s insane scenery and crazy cold-water surfing,” said Anneli. “It’s a part of the world you don’t often see, let alone in winter.”

The film won the Best Cinematography at the 2024 Bells Beach Surf Film Festival.

Two short films will also be screened, one set in Wales and one in Sri Lanka.

There is no age restriction, but “Corners of the Earth” is rated M due to language.

Follow on Instagram for updates: @basscoast.surf.film.festival