See surfing and passion Jack's way

IF A Deeper Shade of Blue is the greatest surfing story ever told, then Jack McCoy is the messiah of this movie genre.

IF THIS is the greatest surfing story ever told - and the awards for A Deeper Shade of Blue indicate that it just may be - then Jack McCoy is the messiah of this movie genre.

But Jack does not walk on water to capture the genesis of surfing - Jack takes the plunge in these ground-breaking film sequences involving a high-powered underwater scooter to zoom in on the action behind the wave, travelling at speeds of up to 10 knots per hour.

And yet it might take something more high-powered than that for Jack to shift his many surfing mates here in Noosa down to the Sunshine Plaza cinemas to check out his 25th surf flick that also features the finless artistry of Cooroy shaper Tom Wegener, who stripped surfing back to the beginning to offer surfers a new future with his alaia revolution.

Jack was talking to surfing's gnarly tribe of elders during the Noosa Festival of Surfing and was told that Maroochydore was too far for them to travel to catch A Deeper Shade of Blue.

But Jack urges them to go to the trouble - especially at this Sunday's session when he will be there for a question and answer session - as they will see the light ... or at least see what they love, and think they understand, in a whole new light.

"It's their only chance ever to see this film on the big screen like it should be seen," Jack said.

This latest labour of love for Jack took out the Nikon Surf Movie of the Year at the Surfing Australia Awards. The movie has also had a win at the X-Dance Awards for best documentary, supporting his contention that this is "way more than surf porn".

"Everyone who sees it will come away with something different, but they will have a deeper understanding about where surfing has come from," Jack said.

But this is more than a gripping roots/history - it captures Jack's passion to present Hawaii's living, breathing, barrelling gift to the world in all its glory.

"I wanted to look back at where surfing came from, but in a contemporary setting and that's why I went straight to Tom Wegener."

Jack credits Tom and another finless master, Derek Hynd, with opening up surfing's origins to modern surfers and reinvigorating everyone who has come onboard.

The filmmaker said he loved Noosa when the surf was pumping, and the points held a special place in his heart. When he first came to the Sunshine Coast and lived for a time at Caloundra, Jack said Noosa had that special allure.

"It's a lot like Bali to me in that you go back these days and the points may have 200 surfers out there, but it still hasn't lost its special quality.

"Every film I do is different."

But this one is possibly his masterpiece.

"A friend of mine, who I won't name, said to me it's the greatest surf story ever told, and it's kind of stuck."

The session times at the Events Cinema in Sunshine Plaza are: today 9pm, Saturday 1.30pm and 9pm, Sunday 1.30pm and 7pm.

Originally published as See surfing and passion Jack's way