Girls Riding Waves Against Oppression

“When I play with waves, I forget everything.”

“I am 13 years old, and I understand everything.”

‘Surfing Against Oppression’ is a slightly shortened version of the award-winning ‘Bangla Surf Girls’ documentary.

Three teens, from a slum in Bangladesh, are filmed for three years. They find passion on the beach and in the waves. This proves difficult when fighting poverty and a conservative, patriarchal community.

This is one of the many places where coming-of-age is a survival test. The lesson is that freedom is to be valued. The haunting is that it may not last for these girls.