we are stoked to be represented in this April 2013 issue of SURFER MAG. if interested - here is my unedited interview about the project.
"One could expect the idea for a film about a surfer’s exploration through Italy would be born from copious amounts of pasta pomodoro and Chianti but in fact, Bella Vita was first discussed over cold Bintangs and Nasi Goreng during a game of Jenga in Katut’s kitchen on the island of Nusa Lembongan, Bali.
It was there that Chris del Moro and I first bonded on the fact that as two blonde-haired, blue-eyed traveling surfers, we were both, ironically enough, the sons of Italian Fathers. We shared, as every Italian can, the warm memories of Nonna’s kitchen on a sunday, big family gatherings and an eager desire to return to the homeland. It wasn’t until a few months later that we met in a South Bay cafe and truly discussed the potential to make Bella Vita the film a reality. Chris shared stories of splitting his adolescence between San Diego and Italy, reveling in the adventure and culture he digested. I shared my eagerness to take on a third film in the surf-genre but to do something different.
From there, I spent a year developing the idea with Chris and a passionate producing team, aligning ourselves with a core group of Italian locals, who without, this film could truly never have happened. We also enlisted a surrounding cast, all of whom have special connections with the region.
My goal was to document their journey through Italy in a way that takes the viewer on a fantastic ride. In this current interconnected world, where you can watch jaw-dropping footage on the internet in real-time, I wanted to create a movie that was intimately experiential. Something, like the aforementioned pasta, that the audience could really sink their teeth into. Let’s call it a documentary film about surfers. A film filled with passionate characters, beautiful scenery, culture, adventure and life, beautiful life- Bella Vita."
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jason baffa, January 2013
