Last weekend, Newquay in Cornwall played host to the surf and music festival the Relentless Boardmasters and I was there to premiere the new Kelly Slater film CLOUD 9.  Rather unusually for the UK, sun split the clouds on the day of the screening and thousands of people flocked to the beach to enjoy the surfing, the entertainment and of course the beer tents!

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On the morning of the premiere, Gabe and I decided to double-check the technical aspects of the screening in advance of hundreds of people turning up at 5pm.  It was just as well we did, as the first problem we encountered was a distinct lack of a DVD player to play the film on!  Having tracked one down, we then faced the issue of the screen being too light for a daytime screening.  With the premiere hour fast approaching, it looked very likely that fans would either be watching a faint outline of Kelly or that I would have to read the script aloud and act the film out myself!

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However, despite the pressure of the clock ticking, with the technical team on side and with Gabe running between autograph signings and the venue, we all pulled the event together with minutes to spare.  I had a few minutes to change into my Quiksilver Women T-shirt dress (Ian) in a shimmering gold beige that was perfect for the night.  The crowd poured in, I gathered my breath and I jumped on the stage to present the film.  Action!  The projector whirred and there on the screen was the film I have been working on with Director Nicolas Dazet for the past year.  To the public, it was a seamless premiere.  It just goes to show one never knows the chaos going on behind the scenes.

 

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I was happy to hear a huge cheer as the final credits rolled and it was then time for Ben Howard to play us into the night.  His music was fantastic as ever, the crowd sang along and he brought a tear to my eye by dedicating the film’s title track CLOUD 9 to me.  After he had played, Ben, Gabe, Ben’s manager Owain and I could finally relax and enjoy the party. 

 

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Two days later, I dressed in a Quiksilver Women rock graphic T (East Village) with a denim mini to attend the final day of the music festival.  There really is an outfit for every occasion in the collection.  Joined by beautiful British actress, Emma Pierson, who has just joined the Quiksilver Women team we watched Ben, his drummer Fabian and cellist India, play to thousands from the giant stage in Watergate, prior to jetting off to tour America with Jason Mraz.  For me, it’s back to work on a new book and a new script.   

 

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CLOUD 9 continues to tour and will be shown on TV before long.  Stay tuned to quiksilver-europe.com for details.