Stephen Cooney

In the early ‘70s, founding member of Australian surf magazine Tracks, Albert Falzon, began filming off the North Coast of New South Wales, Hawaii, and Indonesia. He set out to make a film “that was a reflection of the spirit of surfing at the time” and the end result, Morning of the Earth, proved its worth as a vital document of surf culture and a powerful nature film.

A rare nexus of optimal swell, marquee surfers and skilled, dedicated surf cinematographers created a vast library of surfing's greatest moments over the last three decades.

In the process of remastering Albert Falzon's 1972 classic film, Morning of the Earth, 90 minutes of never-before-seen 16mm camera original outtakes were unexpectedly unearthed. Because of the wealth of this material, a 38-minute film was produced. Getting back to where it all began, this artistic showcase of the “Lost Reels” paints a more complete picture of the filmmaker's journey, and reveals culturally, environmentally and socially significant details of a forgotten past. The film covers Australia, Bali and Hawaii, and is accompanied by an all original soundtrack.