How Long Is “Splinters”?

Papua New Guinea is a nation that in many respects is still catching up to the present day: The country didn't gain its independence from Australia until 1975, subsistence farming remains the dominant trade, and most of the nation lives in poverty, without electricity or running water. One thing Papua New Guinea does have is a beautiful coastline, and while body surfing has been popular among the locals for a long time, surfboards were unknown there until 1980, when an Australian pilot mistakenly left his behind during a stop in the city of Vanimo. Since then, board surfing has become popular in Papua New Guinea, but while some pursue it as a pastime, many young men and women aspire to become professional surfers in order to escape the cycle of poverty as major surfing competitions have come to the country. Adam Pesce offers a look into the Papua New Guinea surfing scene and the high stakes of competition in the documentary Splinters. The film also profiles a number of aspiring surfing champions, including two sisters striving to make a name for themselves in a male-dominated sport and a pair of close friends who become fierce rivals on the waves. Splinters received its world premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.