Live Premiere Of Patagonia’s ‘Framed’ April 15th

7PM BST, April 15 on Facebook live sees Patagonia show the film premiere of ‘Framed’, followed by ‘Fishpeople’. Also Patch Wilson and Gabe Davies will be live for a Q&A session. Patch released an interview ahead of his film’s premiere that can be found below.

This Wednesday Patagonia will be screening the premiere of the new short surf film “Framed” from ambassador Patch Wilson, along with the classic story of the sea, “Fishpeople” on Facebook at 7pm UK time.

15 years ago Patch Wilson started making trips from his native Cornwall in the south-west of England, to the infamous big wave spots on the west coast of Ireland. What started out as a few month-long trips soon turned into a full-time move in order to really get to grips with what these waves could do. Since then Patch has been weathering the North-Atlantic winters and holding out for the occasional glimpse of magic amongst the madness. Made with filmmaker Joao Tudella, “Framed” documents some of these moments from the past three seasons.

Next up, “Fishpeople” tells the stories of six people who are all connected by their love of the ocean and have dedicated their lives to it. From Patagonia ambassador and champion freediver Kimi Werner, to a former coal miner, to Eddie Donnellan who runs a community surf program for at-risk kids in the San Francisco Bay Area, each story shows the transformative effects of time spent in the ocean.

Patch Wilson and European surf manager Gabe Davies will be live on the night for a Q&A during the screening of Framed.

Patch Wilson interview – Framed film release

What was the motivation behind Framed?
I’ve been gathering footage for the last three or four years – all my best waves from around home in the West of Ireland – and I got to the point where I felt comfortable that I had enough for a good clip. The Doolin Surf Film Festival was coming up, which is a really cool event, and I wanted to screen the film there. I also wanted to help out the filmmaker Joao, a younger guy who is super talented. So, between the two of us, because we’re both on the same wavelength, this was what we came up with.

Framed is a very apt name for this film, because you’re also a picture framer. How did you get into that?
I was always interested in woodwork. I made furniture when I was younger, and I’ve worked as a carpenter. I just love to work with wood.

I have a big interest in art and framing is almost an art form in itself. It’s beautiful to see how the frame can contrast with the painting.

I have a little workspace at home, plus a workshop ten minutes from my house. My workspace is actually in my boardroom at the back of my house, so I’ll have to move my boards outside soon to make more space for my tools.

Patch Wlson

Over the years you’ve always tipped the work / life balance scale towards surfing. Has that been a conscious decision?
I’ve always worked to surf. Surfing’s been such a big, positive part of my life and getting in the sea on a daily basis, or whenever I can, and when the waves are good, has always been so important to me.

So I’ve always juggled work to make that happen, and, in the past, that might have meant doing three to four months of solid building work, back home in Cornwall, so that I could then focus on surfing again for a while. Now I can just do a few days of picture framing at home and then go surfing when it’s good. Patagonia has also enabled me to go on trips and kept me warm with suits, so I make it work.

You’re from Cornwall, but you live in Lahinch [West Coast of Ireland]. What was it like transitioning between those two surf scenes?
When I moved to Lahinch it was always a struggle trying to make things happen with work, so I’d go back and forth a bit. Then Moy Hill Farm came up and many of my friends from Cornwall moved over, so the scene grew.

It can be a hard existence here in winter, and this winter was a particularly cold and bleak one with months of bad waves, so it’s not always easy. It can feel a bit too much at times, but there are some great moments in amongst it, and there are some really interesting people living here because it’s a healthy place to be, close to the sea with a lot of positive things going on as well.

Could you tell us about Hometree?
One of the positive things happening here is Hometree, a tree planting initiative, spearheaded by surfer Matt Smith. They’re on a mission to reforest as many areas of Ireland as possible, but with only native species of tree. The last Saturday in every month, they get people together to plant trees. Some of them are donated and some are reared in their own nursery. They invite everyone along on social media, we have a cup of tea, we do some planting and we all eat together afterwards. They’re connecting like-minded people every time too, which is always a good thing.