Epic Waikiki

This is some of the coolest archival footage i've ever seen of Waikiki sliders

If it was easy...

On the heels of successfully funding our kickstarter campaign to bring in some dollars to support post-production-finishing for my new film, Bella Vita - I sit in an edit bay feeling great gratitude towards all who stepped up and pitched in to make our goal a reality.

Flashback 60days, I was burning the mid-night oil organizing footage for my editor, my finances running tight, another 18 hour work-day on the film and I had just passed on another "paid" work-opportunity so I could keep complete focus on Bella Vita.  My wife reminded me that my 1yr old son misses his dad and went to bed.  Stewing in the bluish pale light of my computer monitor, I rang a good friend feeling a bit defeated about the whole endeavor but got his voice mail.  I'm sure I spewed some half baked tequila-logic inspired rant about creativity, capitalism and a need to surf warm water.  His reply came back via text.
It said:

7 years ago, while we were struggling through the build-out of our new bar, you told me, "if it was easy everyone would do it - and if everyone did it, it would be lame"
baffa, making a film is not lame.  you rock on!

I love it when my friends remember things I say worth remembering and remind me, since I tend to forget as soon the insight leaves my mouth.  

I guess, He and "I", were right.  Often, we need to be reminded that things worth doing take some effort and moreover, sometimes they take extraordinary effort.  Perhaps the struggle is part of the journey that attracts me to these projects.  They never seem easy at the time but when the lights in the theatre dim and picture goes up- it is so extremely rewarding.

The kickstarter supporters have just made things a bit easier to rally some support to help me bring this adventure home.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support towards our effort to make Bella Vita great.  I thank you again.

For those interested, there are still some rewards available for the next 24 or-so hours.  cheers. jb

Bella Vita in SURFER MAG, April Issue

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."

- jason baffa, January 2013 

Bella Vita, new film teaser & website

we are proud to announce www.bellavitafilm.com is LIVE - please check it out to see our new film teaser and website.

and feel free to join the conversation at:
www.facebook.com/bellavitafilm

Edition29 Interview

i was really jazzed to be included in the Edition29 "return of the surfer 001" iPad issue.  this is a whole new world of media for me - audio interviews with photos, music, videos and enlightening content - all beautifully art-directed and packaged for your iPad absorbing enjoyment.  if you admire good aesthetics or a simple dose of surf stoke - download today - profiles include mollusk surf shop, julie goldstein's killer wood-block prints and my friend, italian photographer filippo maffei - as well as yours truly yammering for 5 minutes after way too much italian espresso, luckily they edit the raw audio files  - fun stuff.  they even got me to talk about our new project, BELLA VITA.

thanks to sean o'brien and jeff johnson for some "behind the scenes" photos.

chasing waves in the mediterranean

if you are looking for a truly unique surfing experience - please track down our friend Marco from menhirs surf camp in the mediterranean sea.  the weather systems move extremely fast here and your really need a knowledgeable guide to be on top of things.

he has shown us some of the most beautiful coast-line you will ever see, the clearest water i've ever seen and some really fun waves to boot.  it's not tahiti or hawaii but it is an incredible mix of fun surf, great food, amazing people, culture and history.

we thank all our new friends here for their generosity and warmth.  as our friend dave stated, in all my travels, these people have some of the most genuine aloha i've ever experienced.
www.albergomenhirs.it

bella vita, director's log - update #2

hard to believe it has been nearly 60days that i've been on the road, away from my family, friends and new baby jones!  italy has been amazing.  the hospitality of the local italian people is overwhelming.  without their support, Bella Vita could never happen.

we have been chasing waves, making amazing dinners, harvesting grapes at the castellani vine-yards and sharing with chris del moro, his reconnection to family and friends here in italy.

we have watched the seasons change from warm summer heat to a tempest of energy as the high-pressure system over the mediterranean breaks down, storm systems take over and violent wind storms produce rideable and sometimes, very good, surf.  it is a bit surreal to enjoy everything the world loves about italy and to then combine it with the joy of surfing.

the outer islands are raw and country.  i liken it to america's "old west" for surfers.  a vast frontier, open, and undiscovered.  every drive, every turn, shows us the natural potential this region has- but with sometimes fickle and frustrating conditions, a surfer could spend a lifetime absorbing information on what reef, cove, point or slab could have it's epic day.  Rastovich has already eyed a couple shallow zones- that we've been told have never been surfed.

we get our first solid pulse of swell this week- and it will be truly interesting to see what mother nature provides.  i think all the locals are excited to see their home-breaks in the sights of chris, rasta and the coffins.  it is a very sharing, family oriented culture here and the tribe of surfers is no different.  it reminds me of stories i read in The Surfers Journal about early California or Hawaii.  Where the tribe lived together, ate together and chased waves together.  That spirit is alive and well in italy.  We are honored to spend our short period of time within it.  - jb  10/14/12