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One of the most well-known families in surfing is suing an author and his publisher.

Buffalo Keaulana has sued author Stuart Coleman and St. Martin’s press in an effort to have “Fierce Heart, the Story of Makaha and the Soul of Hawaiian Surfing” pulled from store shelves.

Keaulana family attorney John Carroll has a copy of the book.

He says all those yellow tabs point to inaccuracies.

“There are certain things in there that are not right. They don’t want them published. And that’s why we’re trying to shut the book down right now. And pull those books off the shelves” says John Carroll, the Keaulana family’s attorney.

The Keaulana family is synonymous with Oahu’s west side.

The iconic Bufallo was a world class surfer, and Makaha’s first lifeguard.

His two sons, Bryan and Rusty are world renowned watermen in their own right.

Carroll has filed a lawsuit against Author Stuart Coleman and St. Martin’s Press.

In that suit claims defamatory allegations of illicit drug use by the Keaulana’s and that they’re figures of organized crime.

There is also a breach of contract claim.

“The critical issue for them was, don’t do this unless we approve it. All we want you to do is get it right. They had no money, not even a written contract” says Carroll/

The author, Stuart Coleman, says he did send several drafts of the book to the family.

And Carroll acknowledges some changes.

” They did make some attempts to change quite a bit of it. But that’s right now, getting it right is all they really care about.”

Coleman wouldn’t comment on camera because of the suit…But he added that he is “heartbroken that it has gotten to this point…Meant to be a tribute to this family.”

It’s that family name that Carroll says is more important than money.

“They’re well known because of the charities and the tremendous impact they’ve had on kids and surfing, and the whole involvement that has come through their family efforts. And they just don’t want that screwed up.”

Carroll hopes to be in a courtroom soon to try and get the book pulled from shelves.

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For the past few years, surf culture has seen a resurgence of old surfboard models, ranging from California 60’s style to ancient Hawaiian alaia’s. But while modern shapers attempt to travel the timelines of surf history, there is a remote island off the coast of Papua New Guinea that has never stopped practicing the art of riding carefully carved planks, much in the vein of the ancient Hawaiian surfboards. In Feb. 2009, Ernie Higgins, a Southern California shaper and owner of Waterlines Unlimited, stumbled upon this fascinating group of surfers when embarking on a mission trip sponsored by his church.

any knowledge of the surfing activities on the island, Higgins signed up to join a group of missionaries with the objective of building houses for a native people in the Southwestern Pacific, miles off the coast of Papua New Guinea. After five airplane connections and a five-hour trip on an 18ft. boat, he stepped onto a small, volcanic island, with a population of 2,000 and a people speaking its own dialect. While focused on the mission at hand, Higgins suddenly noticed a little boy, in his pre-puberty years, holding a plank, awfully similar to a surfboard. Upon close scrutiny, he was surprised to learn that not only was the lad holding a surfboard, but also that he was participating in a longstanding tradition of riding waves on the island. When Higgins asked for how long they’ve been riding waves, a native said, “For as long as the oldest person in the tribe can remember.”

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image via Ernie Higgins

NEW YORK SURF FILM FESTIVAL DROPS IN AGAIN AT TRIBECA CINEMAS
SEPTEMBER 25th to 27th, 2009

Submissions Deadline Closing May 31, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14th, 2009, New York, NY – The second annual New York Surf Film Festival will return to Tribeca Cinemas September 25th to 27th, 2009. Located in lower Manhattan, Tribeca Cinemas is an art?house rental theater in operation since 2004. The theater hosts between 12?15 film festivals annually including Tribeca Film Festival, Brazilian Film Festival and the NYC Horror Film Festival. In addition, Tribeca Cinemas hosts a variety of private tastemaker screenings and events throughout the year.

Keith Weckstein, Director of Operations at Tribeca Cinemas said, “Tribeca Cinemas is
stoked to be the host venue of the New York Surf Film Festival for the second straight
year. Once again we’re excited to be able to welcome the Festival’s attendees and
guests to the venue and make sure everyone has a positive experience.” Tyler Breuer,
NYSFF Co?Founder adds, “It’s an honor for us to hold our festival in such an iconic
theater. After having such an incredible first year, it’s really hard to imagine doing the
festival anywhere else. ”

The submissions deadline is 17 days away, closing May 31st, 2009. The New York Surf
Film Festival Competition is open to independently produced feature?length and short
films in the surf genre. In order to be considered for the Festival’s Film Competition for
U.S and International films, submitted films must have been completed after January 1,
2004. The running time for features must be greater than 30 minutes. Short films under
30 minutes in length are eligible for participation in the Shorts Program. The submission
form and complete information regarding eligibility and entry rules for the 2009 New
York Surf Film Festival are available on the New York Surf Film Festival website at
www.NYSurfFilm.com.

Support our 2008 Filmmakers! The NYSFF DVD Store is now open on our site.

Show your support and get up?to?date festival news by becoming a Fan of NYSFF on our Facebook Page. Email info@nysurffilm.com if you would like to volunteer for
2009.

New York Surf Film Festival
The New York Surf Film Festival is the premier showcase for international independent surf film.
The mission of the New York Surf Film Festival is to provide filmmakers who are exploring the
diversity of surfing an opportunity to present their work to a larger audience. As surf culture
becomes more popular, the notion of what it means to be a surfer expands. The New York Surf
Film Festival’s aim is to build upon and shape the idea of what a surf film is, while fostering the
growth of this global community in NYC.

NYSFF is proudly supported by NewYorkSurf.com, Sundown Surfshop, Surfersvillage, Downtown
Community Television Center, The Surfer’s Path and STAB magazine.

For submission, media, and sponsorship inquiries please contact:

Morgan Rae Berk
morgan@nysurffilm.com
917.658.2927
Don’t Drop In, LLC
P.O. Box 310361
Brooklyn, NY 11231