Last Tuesday evening (May 20th, 2025), something special transpired. Together with Vågrörelsen, we organized the Swedish premiere of The Big Sea at Panora Cinema in Malmö.
While Malmö was finally sun-drenched, we had a cinema filled with people who were brave enough to face the harsh reality that has been part of our favorite pastime for way too long.
The Big Sea dives deep into the hidden costs of neoprene production and what it does to the physical and mental well-being of the Black community that lives around the Japanese-owned Denka chloroprene production plant in Cancer Alley, Louisiana (US). With cancer risks over 50 times the national US average, many lives have been negatively impacted by this industry. While intense, the documentary is also hopeful, filled to the brim with great dialogue, interviews, and shows some proper surfing. The Big Sea teaches us that there actually is a perfect practical solution for surfers out there: natural rubber. We can’t agree more.
At the screening, we were joined by filmmakers Demi Taylor, Chris Nelson, and Lewis Arnold. In a Q&A panel, moderated by surf journalist Ron de Leeuw, the crowd had the opportunity to ask their most burning questions. Forty minutes flew by, after which it was time to give away a range of prizes from our sponsors Db and SurfEars.
The big takeaway from this all was how important community and using your voice is. Partly because of that, the Denka plant in Louisiana has recently announced it will suspend operations after showing serious losses. However, that doesn’t mean this battle is over. It means right now is the time to push even harder and talk even more about this topic.
As the editorial team, we work hard behind the scenes—and in the field—to document and share everything Nordic surfing and its unique culture. Being able to organize an event like this is special to us and definitely something we loved doing. We couldn’t do this all without you, our readers. For that, we are very grateful.
Lastly: Go natural rubber!
All photos by Fredrik Johansson
