EMILY from Ornella Hawthorn Gardez on Vimeo.
Emily Currie is unfailingly modest. Approach her with a compliment about her achievements and she’ll instinctively respond with British diffidence. But beneath the smiley exterior lies some steely determination, focus and buckets of raw talent.
The 21-year-old Bude local is quietly storming both longboard and shortboarding rankings. A second on the 2017 UK Pro Surf Tour was followed by an assault on the world’s best Longboarders in China at the 2018 ISA World Longboard Surfing Championships.
The squad took 5th place overall out of 22 global teams and Currie secured a personal top 10 ranking in the women’s open competition.
Now the young style master features in a new film collaboration entitled Emily, produced by filmmaker Ornella Hawthorn Gardez. We caught up with the pair following the London premiere.
Q. Congratulations on your result in China Emily, can you tell us a little about your approach to the Championships?
Emily: “Thank you very much! It was great. I met new people and had a fantastic two weeks with the team. I had a goal in mind when I went out there, but I think for me it was just interesting to see how I compared to the world tour girls and have something too aspire to and aim for!
“What was fantastic for me is that I didn’t feel out of place at all, I made a few good rounds, surfed well and showed I could hold my own. Not feeling out of place in a world competition was a great confidence boost and I’m looking forward to taking that into this year!”
Q. How did this film collaboration between you both come into fruition?
Ornella: “I’d always wanted to work with Emily and photographed her at the Surf Snowdonia Pro Surf Challenge in 2017, where she won. We decided to collaborate on a short film and with only a couple of weeks to shoot, travelled spots in Cornwall looking for the best swell.
“Emily is so much fun to film, she is lively and energetic. Not only is she a super talented surfer but she also has charisma in front of the camera. She doesn’t shy away and simply is herself, down to earth, upbeat and naturally entertaining.
“We started at Praa and shot in many places, travelling all the way up the north coast to Bude, Emily’s home break. Being so great on longboards and shortboards meant Emily could take advantage of all conditions.”
Emily: “I’ve known Ornella for years so it’s always amazing doing something with someone who knows you and can maximise your potential on film!
“I’m over the moon with the end result and am hoping to do more with Ornella this year.”
Q. So there’s more filming on the horizon, what else is next for you in the coming months?
“I’ve got my first WSL Longboard Qualifying Series competition in Portugal in March and will compete in them all year, as well as the UK Pro Surfing Tour and British Longboard Union competitions. So yeah, some exciting things to come I think!”
Interview by Anya Gilbert
