Gerry Lopez is yin-ning…
Rocket Science will handle worldwide sales on The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez, a film that takes a closer look at the life of one of the 73-year-old part-Spanish surfer, one of the sport’s most enigmatic heroes.
The film will be introduced to potential buyers at the 2022 Cannes Market.
While most famously known as “Mr. Pipeline” for his mastery of one of the most dangerous waves in surfing, Lopez wrestled with a profound internal conflict; his fight to become the best surfer in the world with his dedication to yoga and Buddhist teachings.
Gerry’s aggressive, unscrupulous surfing was in stark contrast to his calm demeanor in the tube. And this Zelig-like quality made Gerry wholly unique.
Lopez is as Zen as he is radical, and he transcends categorization. He’s an apex predator in the surf, one of the most influential surfers and surfboard shapers of all time, an entrepreneur, a family man, a movie star and a lifelong yogi. His influence on modern surfing is unmeasurable, and for the first time, his story is being told in full.
The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival this past March, and will next screen at Telluride’s MountainFilm in May, making its way to the Maui Film Festival in July.
Award-winning documentarian Stacy Peralta the film, which is a Patagonia Films Production made in association with ACE & Rocket Science. Patagonia Films served as financier for the project and produced alongside Academy Award-winner Evan Hayes and his Anomaly Content & Entertainment banner, as well as Monika McClure and Jack McCoy. Hayes, Alex Lowther (Newtok) and Josh Nielsen served as executive producers.
“Patagonia is known for its films about the external environments of our world, but The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez is a film about the inner environment of a unique and complex individual,” said Peralta. “Through his devotion to both surfing and yoga over the past 70 years, Gerry has painstakingly developed, protected and carefully tended to his own inner environment and in the process he made history.”
“Gerry Lopez has lived a wholly unique life, but there’s a universality to the challenges he’s faced and the lessons he’s learned, and Stacy’s beautiful, entrancing film is the perfect elucidation of this soulful surf icon’s epic journey,” added Hayes. “And working with Patagonia Films on this project sits at the epicenter of what we do at ACE, bridging the brand and entertainment worlds with powerful, impactful, character-centric storytelling.”
Cotillard and Josh O’Connor; and Oliver Hermanus’ acclaimed Living, starring Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood.