Not your father’s surf movie: director Bentley Dean.

With his latest project about to hit Stan, director Bentley Dean took some time out of his busy day to talk about his remarkable surfing documentary Facing Monsters, its making, its West Australian star Kerby Brown and how he came to do it.

He also addresses the thorny issue regarding the thrill-seeker mentality and how badly we should feel when the odds go against them.

Please enjoy.

Interview index

00:00 How the film fell into is lap;
02:06 Why giant waves mesmerize;
04:40 Kerby Brown; surfing as poetry; respecting the forces of nature;
05:38 Cinematographer Rick Rifici;
06:30 Drone footage by Sound recordist Jeremy Ashton;
07:50 Go Pro gear;
09:00 Depression and addiction, the other monsters in the film;
11:20 A “coming of ages” movie;
12:30 Sphere of intimacy; ‘A Sense of Self’;
13:30 Delving into personal life; building trust;
15:00 Issue of thrill-seekers and how much sympathy they deserve when things go south;
19:10 The afterlife of Tanna;
20:30 Sense of Self; Liz Jackson.