Surfing Moms Documentary
“Surfing Moms”, a short documentary, will follow a group of moms in Hawaii who use innovative ways to conquer postpartum struggles. Depression, stress, loneliness and the infamous "mom guilt" are so often part of the life of a new mom. The “Surfing Moms” film will raise awareness around postpartum mental health and the importance of having a village that honors the woman behind the mother.
The Surfing Moms love on each other's keiki (babies and children) so that the mamas can surf. This nurturing ‘surf swap’ system - where one mom surfs while the other takes care of their children on the beach, then they swap - removes that first (and sometimes hardest) step for new moms: asking for help. The Surfing Moms share more than just a passion for surfing; they also share a love and responsibility for each others’ children that creates relationships and bonds to grow their village of support. We invite you to become a part of our surfing moms village by supporting this documentary!
Our group has grown from the well-established Surfing Mums Australia community, and we want to spread the mission even farther. It is our hope that if we raise enough money to create our short documentary, it will lead to the creation of more swap/support groups like ours in the US and beyond. We encourage mothers to continue to follow their pre-motherhood passions and remember that before they were amazing moms, they were already incredible women. Happy moms means happy children, and our Surfing Mom families have been lucky enough to experience that firsthand! Now, we want to share this gift with mothers and families everywhere.
It’s our hope that mothers, especially new ones, will see this film and know that there are ways they can get the support and help that we all need as mothers. The “Surfing Moms” documentary will also shine a light on the fact that sometimes new moms are not OK, and our societal norm of celebrating the individual can actually discourage us from asking our family or community for help or support. The Surfing Moms model helps overcome that barrier because what we’re all about is helping one another take care of ourselves.
Like many passion projects, Postpartum Crusader Films started as a labor of love with zero budget. We are so lucky to have various Surfing Moms and other friends donating heaps of their time. Our professional Videographer, Drone Pilot, Editor, and Post-Production Wizard, Candace, is donating all of her time on this project, which is truly invaluable. Our Communications Coordinator, Anna, is helping to coordinate filming and also working to get the word out far and wide. Our Director, Amelia, is a Surfing Mom with experience creating short documentaries and our Producer, Elizabeth, is our founding Surfing Mom who’s attempting to put her skills as a scientist and university professor towards keeping the project organized. However, even with all this donated time and skill, just a couple of weeks into filming we are already incurring costs and see many more on the horizon. (Did you know the audio input on our cellphones is not documentary quality? I had no idea. Not to worry - we have rented audio equipment!)
Join our crusade of inspiring others to create villages that surround new moms and their children. With your generous support, we will spread the word with our “Surfing Moms” short documentary. All donors will receive a bumper sticker and thank you in the credits as a part of our surfing moms village (unless otherwise indicated). Thank you so much for your consideration. Every little bit helps!
(You can also follow this short documentary journey from the eyes of this film-making-novice at Instagram @joinsurfingmoms. And if you’re a local Hawaii mom who wants to be part of the group, come join us at www.facebook.com/groups/JoinSurfingMoms! If you’re in Australia, check out www.surfingmums.com.)
Mahalo nui loa for your donations, for supporting this mission, and for becoming a part of our surfing moms village!
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What your donation will fund (in addition to the costs we haven’t yet anticipated!):
Equipment rental (microphones, cameras, underwater camera housings, etc.)
Post-production work (color correction, sound editing)
Child care to allow filming
Film festival entry fees
Starting a non-profit to keep the organization going so future moms can benefit (an accountant and an attorney)
Honoraria for professional film crew’s donated time
Music rights, or honoraria for donated music from musicians
Video data storage and transfer
Promotional materials (website, stickers, flyers)
Film distribution
Startup funds to allow a feature-length version of the film to be produced (hopefully!)
