Uruguayan filmmaker Sebastián “Chiki” Bistiancic released his new surfing video last Saturday, Charrúas On A Mission, or COAM, which follows, with impeccable photography, narrative and music, the talented Sebastián Olarte,  Second Vargas and Fran Morosini.

In a 15-minute short, the tubes of Uruguay and France are combined, as well as maneuverable walls and high-caliber surfing carried out by the aforementioned surfers and some friends.

The online premiere will take place today, Monday, in the early afternoon, on DUKE, and the film will only be available to watch here for 24 hours.

We took the opportunity to speak with the director.

 

How did the idea for this film come about?
The idea for this came about halfway along the way. I had just started working with the people at Master Surfboards, creating audiovisual material for their networks, but we had already talked about doing something a little more serious. That year, the chance to go to Europe came up, and while I was there, Segu (Vargas) and Julia (his girlfriend) invited me to go to France to take advantage of the opportunity to surf and see the CT and, at the same time, film with Segu.

It just so happened that Fran (Morosini) was there on that date, so I arranged for him to film as well. Everything happened at the right time, we were able to film in France and the Basque Country. Then, when we returned to Uruguay, I felt like I needed a little more material to be able to do it, so I wrote to Patán, to generate more material with the last swells that were left before the summer and we also filmed with other guys who shared sessions with us.

What can you say about each of the protagonists, their surfing and their personalities?
All three are amazing surfers, each with their own styles and personalities. I think that the images show what each one is like. They all have a very good level and are very easy to film.

Segu is always relaxed, in and out of the water. He has tremendous style when making his lines and riding. Fran is the calmest of the three, but has an aggressive and modern surfing. He hits it hard and loves to take his surfing into the air.

And Patán is someone who likes to break the seriousness by being very energetic and funny, he has a very complete surfing, with good lines and good aerials.

What is the good and bad thing about filming in Uruguay?
The good thing about filming in Uruguay is that it is our home and we know it very well. It has very good waves and places that are very good for photography. From point breaks to beach breaks, the Uruguayan coast is beautiful.

The bad thing is the lack of consistency of solid seas and that there is also little economic support for surfing. It's all a lot of effort, but it's done..

Share some anecdotes from the filming process.
For me, the best ones were in France. Segu and I went to the same spot every day. It was a place where we left the van in an incredible forest and we had to walk about a kilometre to get to the coast. The forest was incredible, all pines, oaks and cork oaks. When we got to the beach it was a desolate beach break wherever you looked with peaks left and right everywhere and nobody in the water. As soon as we got there I couldn't help but notice that it was a nudist beach. The contrast between perfect waves and naked old men on the sand was very funny. We saw many very bizarre things that we were left hanging with the kids. But the waves were so good and there were no crowds that we kept coming back. There was pumping for four days, we couldn't believe it.

What projects do you have in mind from now on?
I have a couple, I would like to be able to show Uruguayan surfing with epic days, try to be there on those days with the best waves and the best surfers and also add some trips and be able to show the world everything that one sees and experiences.

They say the launch party was a blast. What was the best part? And the worst part?
The launch party was great. I was a little nervous about everything. The best thing was being able to watch it with friends and acquaintances in surfing, enjoying that special moment for me and having such a good response from the general public, I was very happy.

The bad thing was that some technical problems arose, the audio was cut off in the middle of the video but luckily it was solved.

But how was the party itself? And the morning after?
The party was good, lots of beer, friends and rock and roll. The morning was rough, lots of hangovers (laughs). Luckily it was a bad day and we had time to sleep all day.

*This Monday afternoon, only here at DUKE, you will be able to watch the full movie.