Critically-Acclaimed Surf Film "The Drifter" To Debut At NY Festival

Surfing culture has left its indelible mark in American cinema -- think films like Gidget, The Endless Summer and Point Break, amongst others, that have defined their respective eras through tales of sand, sun and sex wax. Now, its Rob Machado's turn to tell his story with The Drifter.

The film will premiere in the U.S. at the New York Surf Film Festival on Friday, September 25 at 8:15 p.m. at Tribeca Cinemas in Lower Manhattan.

The champion surfer documented his solo trip to Indonesia last summer, where he soul searches -- and connects with the locals -- in a world very far away from the hustle and bustle of the San Diego shores he perfected his craft on.

Early accolades on the film paint it as an instant classic, a story about people as much as it is about waves.

“There has never been a more beautiful portrait of the diversity of the people, the surf and the islands of Indonesia," Jolinde den Hass, the director Ombak International Surf Film Festival, said. "It's a very genuine road movie that shows a personal side of Rob Machado and the warmth and sincerity of the Indonesian people.”