Part sports history, part thrill ride, Riding Giants details the origins and history of surf culture – Specifically focusing on the art of big wave riding. Acclaimed filmmaker Stacy Peralta (Dogtown & Z-Boys) takes us on an insiders’ journey that he hoped would answer the question “why people choose to devote their lives to the pursuit of riding waves.” 

The first documentary to open the Sundance Film Festival, Riding Giants chronicles the evolution of riding at Hawaii’s Waimea Bay in the 1950s, the revolution of lighter boards, and tow-in surfing to allow for “riding giants“. Three surfers who are part of this multi-generational evolution are spotlighted: Greg Noll is shown as a fearless big wave rider during the 1950s and 1960s; Jeff Clark who discovered the infamous surfers holy grail Mavericks just north of Half Moon Bay and surfed there alone for years; and Laird Hamilton, the contemporary surfer who brings tow-in riding to the limelight.

Director: Stacy Peralta (US 2004) 105 min.