The Search for Freedom is an insider’s look at the action sports revolution of the last 40-odd years. Written and directed by Jon Long (IMAX Extreme), this doc tackles the infinite possibilities available to anyone willing to drop in. It’s a visceral, visual experience via some of the brightest pioneers, legends, visionaries, and champions of surfing, snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding, mountain biking and more.

“It’s like I’m breathing…the best breath you can take of full bliss and happiness. It’s like magic.”
– big mountain snowboarder and cast member Annie Boulanger

CAST
DANNY WAY • ROBBIE MADDISON • BOB MCKNIGHT • RON KAUK • GLENN SINGLEMAN • WARREN MILLER • BRUCE BROWN • TONY HAWK • JEREMY JONES • ANNIE BOULANGER • NYJAH HOUSTON • ROBBY NAISH • YVON CHOUINARD • GARY FISHER • KAI LENNY • KELIA MONIZ • KELLY SLATER • SHANE MCCONKEY • LOGAN LAPLANTE • MEG ROH • TOM SCHAAR • HEATHER SWAN • STEVE PEZMAN • CHRIS BURKARD • ROB CAMPBELL

NOTES FROM DIRECTOR JON LONG
“When I first conceived the movie, it was to tell a story about a cultural phenomenon. The action sports movement came from humble beginnings and has become a way of life for so many. This is a real story of the action sports revolution and some of the people who fueled it with verve, imagination and courage.

I hadn’t initially planned on pursuing the theme of freedom in this film until I had already interviewed dozens of people. The concept of freedom kept coming up again and again with so many of them that I wanted to look deeper into what that really meant.

People talk about freedom in many ways; relationships, borders, politics, finances, electronic devices… But one thing that seems to be constant is that the pursuit of freedom is tied inextricably to the pursuit of happiness. They’re two sides of the same coin. This film is about the freedom that comes when you become completely immersed in the moment, when all of your focus and energy is fully directed to that place and time.

I wanted the participants to tell the story without a narrator. No one sport or character “takes over”; they each inform each other’s development. It’s a continuum. It’s this larger whole that all of these people are a part of. It’s a community.

I really wanted to try and create an immersive, visceral experience, where the audience can actually inhabit those magical moments like gliding along a glassy green wave, even if they’ve never tried any of these sports.”

The Search for Freedom screens at Millennium Place, Whistler, BC on Saturday, May 16, at 4 p.m. as part of the WFF Adventure Film Series and GO Fest. BC MTB rider Brandon Semenuk’s Rad Company screens on Sunday.

Tickets $10. WFF Adventure Series Pass for all six Adventure films is $50. Tix available at www.whistlerfilmfestival.com.