J Paul Johnson
At first blush, a title like The Cigarette Surfboard sounds like the name of some long-forgotten surf-thrash band. Or perhaps a simple non sequitor culled from a Mad Lib. But director Ben Judkins’ documentary is as literally titled as they come: The Cigarette Surfboard is just that, the tale of an unusual surfboard constructed from 10,000 cigarette butts collected from California beaches. Making art from waste, message from medium, Judkins’ film tells its tale with both passion and panache, in the process sounding a clarion call to protect the ocean and its beaches.
Taylor Lane is the film’s principal subject, a tinkerer, inventor, and designer with a passion for surfing who grew up in Venice Beach, California. When inspiration struck, Lane was quick to put his principles of environmentalism and innovation into action. But as one might imagine, collecting and repurposing the tens of thousands of cigarette butts that littered his local beaches was no easy task. In fact, it was arduous, complex, and smelly. First attempts led to abject failures. But Lane, a cheerful optimist always looking for creative solutions and alternative perspectives, persevered and eventually designed a surfboard made from discarded butts that functioned ably even in challenging conditions.
The product is as unlikely as they come, its lacquered shell protecting an inlaid mosaic of white and brown butts arranged in unusual and unexpected patterns. The butts are prominently visible on the surface, lending the board its primary aesthetic. And surprisingly, the board’s design is both arresting and beautiful, its having reclaimed one of the environment’s most repulsive blights as an instrument that is functional and handsome. Over the last decade or so and with the help of some of surfdom’s most heralded designers (among them Guy Okazaki, Ward Coffey, Travis Reynolds, Ryan Harris, Malcolm Campbell, Marc Andreini, and Rob Machado), Lane has now fashioned over a dozen of these signature boards: twinnies and shortboards, bonzers and mid lengths, big-wave boards and 9’0 noseriders. They—and the film—have traveled the world.
And more importantly, even though surfing is the medium, The Cigarette Surfboard is more about the environmentalist message its subject conveys. Each year, 5.6 trillion cigarettes are manufactured worldwide, the vast majority of these with filters made of cellulose acetate, a plastic that can take more than a decade to decompose. The Cigarette Butt Pollution Project estimates that as many as two-thirds of those filters are littered each year. The Ocean Conservancy annual beach cleanup collects over one million discarded butts each year, about one-third of all items they’ve collected and more than any other item. The waste may impact everyone, but the film’s focus is on the impact felt by surfers and the commitment with which they take on the fight against Big Tobacco.
The Cigarette Surfboard‘s greatest strengths as a documentary film are its charismatic primary subject, Lane, and the unusual oddity he’s created. Lane is kind of a nut—I mean that in the very best way—and makes for an engaging, committed guide to the mission of the “ciggy board” he’s created. Judkins’ documentary nimbly tells the board’s origin story with verve and panache in its first act, juxtaposing direct interviews with observational footage and, here and there, some clever archival material.
Once Lane has finally fashioned a functional board midway through the film, the narrative shifts to its and Lane’s travels across the world. These adventures, though filmed beautifully and edited masterfully, may become a little repetitive for viewers who might not already be familiar with its all-star cast of surfers: Mikey February, Craig Anderson, Carlos Muñoz, Fergal Smith, Easkey Britton, Cliff Kapono, Dustin Barca, Hannah Bennett, Tevita Gukilau, Kassia Meador, Andrea Kabwasa, Devon Howard, Rob Kelly, Caity Simmers, Legend & Mana Chandler, Sophie Hellyer, Alan Stokes, Marissa Miller, Jett Schilling, Noah Wegrich, Al Cleland Jr., Jai Glindeman, and more.
Musician and surfer Jack Johnson is among them, lending his perspective as well, and I’ll enjoy as much as anyone pristine surfing footage set to Johnson’s signature guitar or the vintage sounds of Hugh Maskela. These sequences each delight, but one’s passion for and knowledge of surfing may well determine the degree to which their interest waxes or wanes as they proceed. Even so, The Cigarette Surfboard brings its message to the masses with the goal of opening up dialogue for future generations to explore how they can take action in their own communities.
Since its World Premiere in May 2024, The Cigarette Surfboard has been screened at more than 60 film festivals, with multiple Audience and Best Feature awards. For a list of upcoming screenings or to arrange a screening in your community, visit www.thecigarettesurfboard.com. And for its Online Premiere, visit https://watch.eventive.org/thecigarettesurfboard.
