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Surfing through the odds

São Tomé and Príncipe, the second smallest country in Africa, girls spend most of their day collecting water and helping their families.
It is a paradise of friendly people, yet one where girls were not allowed to surf before SOMA. SOMA’s mission is to fight for gender equality through surf therapy, academic support and mental health education.
This is a film about these girls’ reality and the role that SOMA plays in their community, giving the girls a key to unlock other possibilities.

  • Ana Filipa Domingues
    Director
    THE AFRICAN CYPHER
  • Shutterstock Studios
    Producer
  • Noelia Lage Vazquez
    Producer
  • Nailah Blissett
    Producer
  • Anco Henning
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 33 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 4, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Portugal
  • Country of Filming:
    Sao Tome and Principe
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • SAL - Surf At Lisbon
    Lisbon
    Portugal
    November 4, 2023
    SAL - SURF AT LISBON FILM FESTIVAL
    Sustainability award
Director Biography - Ana Filipa Domingues

Ana - Filipa Domingues, is an award winning film producer and stills photographer.
Filipa co-founded Fly on the Wall films in 2004 with director Bryan Garrick Little.
Fly on the Wall is an award winning production company which has produced three feature documentaries and commercial work for International brands; MTV Europe,National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Adidas, Nokia, Adobe, USAID amongst others.
Her photographic work has been featured on the covers of numerous magazines including a spread in National Geographic.
Ana-Filipa’s latest photography venture, “CheckMyPlants” is photographing rare and unusual plants, specifically indigenous South Africa succulents and fynbos, consciously only using natural light, waiting for the perfect light which only occurs on some days.
Featured on CNN Inside Africa “Through the lens” Showcasing 8 unique photographers in Cape Town during lockdown.
Ana-Filipa was also invited to tell her story on the TEDx Platform.
Ahead of her first solo exhibition in September 2019, Filipa exclusively curated 4 limited-release ‘CheckMyPlants’ Smeg retro fridges as the ultimate collectors’ items.
These bespoke pieces feature her visually spectacular stills of iconic South African plants with SMEG’s black retro fridge as the canvas to perfectly emulate her signature style photography!

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