The Big Sea presented by NISFF

The Big Sea, presented by NISFF (Noosa International Surf Film Festival) and The Event Artisan

Date: 16th March 2026
Time: 6pm – 7.30pm
Venue: Noosa Event Cinemas

General Ticket Price: $24
NFOS competitors: $20
Children aged 15 and under: $18

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THE BIG SEA

Special Screening | Award-Winning Documentary

Winner – Best Feature Film, 2025 Noosa International Surfilm Festival (NISFF)

A must-see documentary exposing the hidden environmental and human cost behind the global surf industry. Join us for a powerful evening of film, conversation and connection — featuring lucky door prizes and a live post-screening Zoom Q&A with the filmmakers, joining us from the UK. Event finishes at 7:40pm, so you’ll be well rested for Tuesday’s Noosa Festival of Surfing heats. This special screening is proudly presented by NISFF and The Event Artisan, in collaboration with the Noosa Festival of Surfing.

International Awards & Recognition

• Best Film – London Surf Film Festival
• Best Film – Jersey Surf Film Festival
• Grand Jury Prize – San Sebastian Surf Film Festival
• Environment Award – Portuguese Surf Film Festival
• Finalist – Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
• …and many more worldwide

Synopsis

Surfing is killing it.

Now a $10 billion global industry, surfing sells a clean, green dream — positioning itself as a champion of environmental values. But beneath the surface lies a disturbing truth… and people are dying.

From filmmakers Lewis Arnold and Chris Nelson, The Big Sea is a hard-hitting investigative documentary exposing surfing’s hidden connection to Cancer Alley, Louisiana — and the toxic legacy of neoprene, the primary material used in most wetsuits worldwide. Neoprene (chloroprene rubber) is produced through a carcinogenic chemical process so dangerous that it carries health warnings in California. There is only one chloroprene plant in the USA — built on the site of a former slave plantation — casting a deadly shadow over a predominantly Black community fighting for the right to breathe clean air.

A 2015 EPA report revealed that cancer risk in this area is 50 times the national average. While neoprene is used across many industries, it is surfing’s image that has been used to “greenwash” this toxic material. Confronted with mounting evidence and pressure, will the surf industry take responsibility — and lead the shift toward safer, natural alternatives?

The Big Sea is a compelling story of environmental racism, social justice, corporate accountability and the power of individuals to drive real change.

What People Are Saying

• “One of the most important outdoor films of all time.”
  — Keme Nzerem, C4 News
• “The film that changed an industry.”
  — Ian Stewart, CMO, Xcel Wetsuits
• “Life-or-death journalism the like of which surfing has seldom seen.”
  — Mike Lay, Editor, Wavelength Magazine
• “An extraordinary piece of work with the power to drive real, tangible change.”
  — Matt Barr, Looking Sideways
• “So powerful. So well told. So poetic.”
  — Jamie Brisick, Award-winning Filmmaker