‘The Yin & Yang Of Gerry Lopez’ To Tour Australia, Hosted By Gerry And Director Stacy Peralta

PRESS RELEASE

The path to enlightenment begins at the world’s deadliest wave. From award-winning filmmaker Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z Boys) comes Patagonia’s The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez, a film that lifts the veil on one of surfing’s most enigmatic heroes, “Mr Pipeline”.

Gerry Lopez is as radical as he is Zen; he transcends categorisation. He’s one of the most influential surfers and surfboard shapers of all time, an entrepreneur, a family man, a movie star, and a lifelong yogi, who brought surfing to new frontiers. His influence on modern surfing is immeasurable. For the first time, his story is being told in full.

This October, Patagonia will tour The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez throughout Australia, with Peralta and Lopez travelling down under to host special Q&A screenings in Melbourne, Lorne, Coolangatta, Byron Bay and Sydney, ahead of the film’s highly anticipated digital release in November. Additional locations will be announced soon.

Holding historical and cultural relevance to local characters and surfers, the feature documentary will resonate with the Australian surf community. Yet it’s also an engrossing portrayal of a dynamic journey to which all cinemagoers can connect.

“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,” says Evan Hayes, the film’s co-producer and Academy Award-winner behind Free Solo.

Though Gerry Lopez is famously known for his calm demeanour in the tube, he built his career with aggressive surfing that left behind a trail of blood and tears.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to all the people that I stole waves from,” Gerry announces in the film’s opening scene. “Because, I know that my surfing has been a subject of admiration and the way my surfing got to that level was stealing a lot of waves from other surfers. You see, taking waves from other people is really the same thing as stealing, and if you do it enough – and I did it a lot – you can become pretty good at it. You also stop thinking about what a low thing it is.”

“Everything that I read in my yoga studies, talked about full acceptance, no resistance, yielding, allowing, nourishing, understanding, love. And I guess, I thought my disharmonious behaviour with other surfers was balanced out by my trying to be in complete harmony with the waves. I’ve come to realise that yoga and surfing have been perhaps the most significant yin-yang relationship, yin-yang balancing act, of my entire life”.

A penchant for film is in the DNA of Patagonia – Yvon Chouinard, the founder and co-owner of the company, started making films in the 1960s. When The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez director Stacy Peralta asked Patagonia Films to produce the project, they jumped at the chance.

A portion of tour ticket sales will be donated to Patagonia’s non-profit event partner, Surfers for Climate – a sea roots movement dedicated to positive climate action. Limited edition The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez merchandise including cups and posters will also be available for purchase, with all proceeds benefiting Surfers for Climate.

For tickets to the special Q&A screenings with Gerry Lopez and Stacy Peralta or to find out more about The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez visit Patagonia.com.au/gerrylopez.