POINT OF CHANGE

An 'idyllic' island community dramatically changed forever by the 'discovery' of the 'perfect' wave in the 1970s. The remarkable and previously untold true story of the first surf pioneers to ‘discover' the 'Point' on the isolated Indonesian island of Nias and the dramatic consequences and the devastating social and ecological repercussions for the people and place that followed. A contemporary, cautionary tale of paradise lost.

POINT OF CHANGE is a compelling and dramatic documentary feature film told through a unique blend of previously unseen super 8 archive, contemporary interview and beautiful animation, with an original score composed by Academy-Award winning composer Stephen Warbeck and featuring by local musicians, to reveal an all too resonant picture of a society changed inexorably by powerful economic & environmental forces outside of their control.

When two young surfers from Australia want to escape the political climate of their home in the 1970s, they set off in search of their idea of ’santosha’; a 'perfect location with a perfect wave’. Their dream came true and they found their holy grail when they stumbled across Lagundi Bay, on the remote island of Nias in Indonesia and ‘discovered' one of the best right hand waves in the world. Unwittingly Kevin Lovett and John Giesel were the new colonials wearing different hats, walking into an entirely different culture and community, completely unaware of the impact their arrival would unleash. The true story told with authentic super 8 footage from the time, edited with creative animation and live action involves culture clashes, malaria, black magic and tragic consequences. This unique hybrid documentary walks the line between the highs of the discovery of paradise and the inevitable lows of the dark side of paradise.