For our Canadian fans out there, The Canadian Surf Film Festival (CSFF) is getting ready to launch its 2nd annual program next week, September 29 – October 2, 2011.

It started with a handful of local surfers who dreamed of watching surf films, old and new, on the silver screen with their friends. Now in its second year, the CSFF has garnered international press and has established itself as a force in the surf film festival circuit. The CSFF is committed to providing a unique and celebratory forum for local, national and international surf films and surf culture to collide.

The CSFF will feature over 20 films, eight of which will be Canadian premieres. The lineup includes regular length features and shorts, about surf culture as it relates to communities and traditions all over the world, from as near as Halifax to as far off as rural Indonesia.

Film themes vary from environmental conservation to mental health issues, and from anthropology to indie art filmmaking.

Some of the films to note include the Canadian premiere of “Splinters,” which kicks off the festival on Thursday, September 29th. Filmed in Papua New Guinea in a traditional society facing the pressures of modernization, this film tracks events leading up to the first national surf competition. Other films include New York-based professional surfer Mikey DeTemple’s film, “Sight | Sound,” an artistic rendition of surfing in picturesque locales around the world, including Nova Scotia and featuring local surfer Dean Petty, and “The Still Point,” a spiritual look at waves, surf and the connection of all things.

Opening night kicks off at The New Palace (1721 Brunswick Street) on Thursday, September 29, 2011 with hip-hop band Three Sheet, featured in The Coast Magazine’s “Best Of” issue. Local surfer and rock star Matt Mays returns to the CSFF to play at The New Palace on Saturday, October 1, 2011. Last year Mays played a sold out show for closing night. The CSFF closes with the Awards Show at The Seahorse Tavern (1663 Argyle Street) on Sunday, October 2, 2011.

Tickets for screenings and special events are available at all Ticketpro outlets in Nova Scotia and on Ticketpro.ca . Tickets will also be available for purchase in-person starting September 22, 2011 at the Canadian Surf Film Festival Box Office in Park Lane Mall (5657 Spring Garden Road).

For more information, visit: www.canadiansurffilmfestival.com