A new documentary 16 years in the making will give audiences the full story behind one of the world’s most iconic big wave surfing locations, right here in Tasmania.
Stern Fever, produced by Clifton Beach filmmaker Talon Clemow charts how Shipstern Bluff on the Tasman Peninsula went from a closely guarded secret to one of the most recognised surf spots on the planet.
The film will premiere in Hobart at Village Cinema on October 3 before heading to Sydney on October 8 for its global premiere.
Clemow said the name captures the buzz that spreads through the locals whenever a big swell is on the way.
“Everyone starts talking about it and no one wants to miss out on it,” he told Pulse.
“Back in the old days when it was a very low-key sort of secret spot, like early, early days, like ’80s and ’90s, no one talked about it.”
“But as soon as someone filmed it and took photographs of it, it just spread like a fever.”
The documentary runs for 99 minutes and traces how media exposure brought the wave to prominence, alongside the surfers who have pushed the limits of what is possible there.
Clemow first visited Shipstern Bluff in 2006 while working for Billabong and began developing the project in 2010.
He moved to Tasmania in 2015 to pursue it full-time and has been working on it ever since.
As finishing touches are applied to the film, he said a high-profile Hollywood actor is in talks to provide the voiceover, though he could not reveal the name yet.
Clemow said the documentary is just the start, with years of footage still untapped.
He described Shipstern Bluff as “one of the most amazing big wave surfing locations in the world.”
“It’s so unique, it’s so powerful, it’s beautiful, it’s ugly, it’s violent, it’s peaceful,” he said.
Tickets for the Hobart premiere are available through Clemow’s One Palm Media Instagram page.
Tasmanian bands Powderkeg and Ekidna feature on the soundtrack, with Powderkeg also playing the launch night after party at Grand Poobah.
