A powerful and internationally acclaimed surf documentary, The Big Sea, will return to the big screen in Noosa for a one-night screening on 16 March from 6pm at Noosa Cinemas, presented by the Noosa International Surfilm Festival (NISFF) and The Event Artisan, in collaboration with the Noosa Festival of Surfing.
Winner of Best Feature Film at the 2025 Noosa International Surfilm Festival, The Big Sea has received widespread international recognition and is considered one of the most important investigative films ever made about the surf industry.
Following the screening, audiences will have the opportunity to participate in a live Zoom Q&A with co-filmmaker Chris Nelson, joining from the United Kingdom.
Surfing sells a clean, green dream.
Now a $10 billion global industry, surfing markets itself as environmentally conscious. Yet the core material used in most wetsuits worldwide, neoprene (chloroprene rubber), is produced through a highly toxic chemical process linked to serious health risks.
In The Big Sea, filmmakers Lewis Arnold and Chris Nelson uncover surfing’s unexpected connection to Cancer Alley, Louisiana, where the only chloroprene plant in the United States operates on the site of a former slave plantation. The plant casts a toxic shadow over a predominantly Black community fighting for the basic right to breathe clean air.
A 2015 EPA report revealed cancer risk in this area is 50 times the national average.
While neoprene is used across many industries, surfing’s aspirational image has often been used to “greenwash” the material. The film asks a pressing question: will the surf industry take responsibility and lead the shift toward safer, natural alternatives?
The Big Sea is a powerful story of environmental racism, social justice, corporate accountability, and the power of individuals to drive meaningful change.
The Noosa International Surfilm Festival (NISFF) celebrates surf culture, ocean storytelling and environmental awareness through powerful surf and ocean films from around the world. The festival brings filmmakers, surfers, creatives and ocean advocates together to connect, inspire and spark conversation.
