Alice Ward Films On, In, Above and Under The Ocean
“I always feel in kinship with the surfers who share the Pacific coast with me; I swim along the ocean swells, they surf the swells; they swim out to the sets, I body surf into shore,” comments Steven Munatones. “The same is true wherever I swam along surf breaks, in Hawaii, Mexico, Tahiti, Japan, and China. So movies like Ebb and Flow: Women in the Atlantic are close to my heart.”
Ebb and Flow was directed by Alice Ward and produced by Sea Pea Films, a company she founded based on her love for visual arts and the ocean. The 12-minute film, produced in 2000, features the surf community on the west coast of Ireland. Like their ocean swimming colleagues, they interact with the majesty of the Atlantic Ocean in a special way.
Sea Pea Films writes, “Ebb and Flow features the experiences of three fearless females – Elisabeth Clyne, Shauna Ward and Katie McAnena – and their passion for surfing the waters off the west coast of Ireland. Filmed throughout 2019, Alice Ward captures the mystical relationship these amazing women have with the power and magnitude of the Atlantic Ocean’s surf. Ebb and Flow is a female led production which not only features the amazing surf community on the west coast, but also shines a spotlight on its creative community. Collaborating with renowned contemporary artist Alice Maher, through animation brings the Irish Folklore tales of Selkies and Queen Meadbh to life on the screen thereby adding further depth and dimension to the work.”
Ebb and Flow are part of the Kendal Mountain Tour that is being showcased in 40 venues across the UK. For more information, visit www.kendalmountainevents.com.
Ward also directed Lambay to Balscadden, a documentary about a 12 km swim from Lambay Island to Balscadden Bay in Howth, Dublin, Ireland. She writes, “The short film features three neighbors who started doing 5-minute swims at the start of a COVID Lockdown in 2020. Slowly they increased their swimming distance and to mark the end of the lockdown they completed a 12 km swim.”
Ward also filmed ‘Her Breton Skin’ for musician Daniel Whelan in 2021. “The video follows an almost mythical woman presiding on the rocks beside the ocean. The inspiration came from the Celtic Mythological creatures called Selkies who shapeshifted between seal and human as they saw fit.”
Ward’s additional ocean videography is seen here…like:
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