SURF NATION

As China trains its first generation of Olympic surfers, two promising young athletes navigate adolescence, freedom and their love of the sport. Filmed over a two-year period, SURF NATION follows as hundreds of young recruits leave their families and are paid to live together in a communal hotel, take classes six days a week, and become elite surfers. Though the recruits face extreme pressure to avoid being kicked out of the program, their Australian coaches teach not only technique, but surfing’s central attribute: individuality, in a culture that demands conformity.