The world is getting a first glimpse of 2024’s most anticipated surf film, Trilogy: New Wave, with a trailer out today. In production since 2021, the film stars Griffin Colapinto, Ethan Ewing and Seth Moniz on a dream quest across the globe for pristine waves in Indonesia, Peru, South Africa and Tahiti. As the pressures of head-to-head competition for a championship crown weigh heavy, the three put fierce rivalries aside and discover how the power of friendship can unlock even greater success in and out of the water.
Utopia has acquired the worldwide rights to Trilogy: New Wave, directed by Aether Film’s Andrew Mackenzie. Trilogy: New Wave trailer is out today: https://youtu.be/w0fPzckItLA
Currently on Tour in Australia, the film will screen at festivals and special events through the spring and summer. Trilogy: New Wave will release globally across digital platforms in September 2024. Pre-orders are available now.
The film’s stars are three of surfing’s top performers on Tour and film. Colapinto, from Southern California, is presently ranked number one on the World Surf League Championship Tour with Australia’s Ewing number two, following MEO Rip Curl Portugal where the two competed against each other in the final and Colapinto’s subsequent second place finish at Bells Beach. Ewing and Colapinto have also secured spots to compete at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games.
“Trilogy: New Wave is really a coming of age story, as we see the guys mature into the top surf talent in the world. Their genuine friendship helps to unlock success, but don’t be fooled, there’s also a real rivalry between the three,” said Andrew Mackenzie, director of Trilogy: New Wave. “As they say ‘iron sharpens iron,’ and you see the guys push each other to new heights with each surfing longer, and progressing more quickly than they would alone.”
Mackenzie and Aether Films positioned up to six cameras with a wide variety of angles on a single scene including an FPV racing drone angle that is new to surfing. This allowed Mackenzie to take more chances, cut some camera angles closer and create a completely fresh take on how the world sees surfing.
“Thanks to Mackenzie’s masterful filmmaking, you do not have to be a surf fan to feel the thrills of Ewing, Colapinto and Moniz’s astonishing talent catching the world’s biggest waves,” said Utopia’s Robert Schwartzman. “Utopia looks forward to making a splash with a moving epic on the heart and discipline that these world renowned surf champions have.”
The first surf film in Utopia’s roster, Trilogy: New Wave follows Utopia’s successful releases of sports-centered stories including Facing Nolan, Rowdy and Day by Day.
More than a decade has passed since the original Trilogy (2007), a classic surf film directed by Taylor Steele,was released. Since then, surfing has transitioned from countercultural pastime to mainstream sport. Trilogy: New Wave examines this evolution with a new lens, offering an unexpected perspective of surfing’s present.
The production was produced by Mackenzie’s Aether Films, a production TV and broadcast commercial company. Some of Aether’s clients include Toyota, Adidas, Google, Uber, and Oakley.
About Utopia
Utopia is a New York and Los Angeles based film distribution and sales company co-founded by filmmaker Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper. Focused on showcasing truly independent features and documentaries while supporting the next wave of filmmakers and audience discovery, recent Utopia releases include Sean Price Williams’ acclaimed debut feature The Sweet East, Eddie Alcazar and EP Steven Soderbergh’s Divinity, Kristoffer Borgli’s acclaimed dark comedy Sick of Myself, Ali Abbasi’s Oscar shortlisted and Cannes winner Holy Spider, Meet Me in the Bathroom chronicling the early days of LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more. Other Utopia releases include the cult-BMX classic and event-theatrical hit Rad; Sundance breakout and Gotham Awards-nominated We’re All Going to the World’s Fair by Jane Schoenbrun; Gaspar Noe’s Cannes-lauded Vortex starring Dario Argento; the Indie Spirit-winner Shiva Baby by Emma Seligman and more.
Utopia has since launched Utopia Originals, a division dedicated to the development, packaging, and sales of original film and television content. Its most recently announced project is Drugstore June, a comedy ensemble feature from director Nicholaus Goossen (Grandma’s Boy), in partnership with All Things Comedy and Shout! Studios.
About Aether Films
Aether is a full-service production company founded in 2014 by three best friends, Aether Films is a full-service production company that produces commercial, documentary, and narrative content for both brands as well as agencies. With collective backgrounds in film, storytelling, engineering and robotics, we create unique visuals that promise to stand the test of time.Our experienced team has worked on all types of projects.
