SBIFF 23 Uncovered surprise | Wade in the Water

David Mesfin – Director, Writer, and Producer

Born in Ethiopia, David migrated to the United States at an early age. Growing up in St. Augustine, Florida, he was immersed in a vibrant local surf culture that conceived his passion for the ocean and nature.

After moving to the West Coast to receive his Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication and Advertising from California State University, Long Beach, David connected with a community of Black surfers that introduced him to the historical context of surfing in Africa.

These formative experiences, which connect his lifelong passion and ancestral roots, spawned the creative inspiration and community-based collaborations that have bloomed into Wade in the Water.

Beyin Abraha – Executive Director

Born in Ethiopia, of Eritrean descent, and raised in Toronto, Beyin’s introduction to surfing came through a college roommate. He’s been hooked ever since.

In his day to day life, Abraha works with Beats by Dre as a Mechanical Product Design Engineer specialized on in-ear headphones. He has also enjoyed similar positions at Apple with the iPhone design team as well as at Tesla working on the iconic Model 3 electric vehicle in the past.

As an active community member, Abraha is the project manager and founding member of Sofly Surf School, an organization that gives free surf lessons in Huntington Beach, and holds the position of vice-chair on the board for PaddleforPeace, an organization offering holistic approaches to introducing people to the practice of surfing and protecting the ocean.

After being contacted by David to be featured in Wade in the Water (2022), Beyin’s passion for surfing and community connections soon saw him transition into an integral role of bringing the project to life on shoot days as well as behind the scenes making sure things are on track.

Teferi Seifu – Editor

Teferi Seifu is an Editor and Producer best known for his work on feature films The Runner (2021), Bad Impulse (2019) and The Bandit Hound (2016) available on streaming platforms.

He is in pre-production for three feature films with his longtime director Michelle Danner . Other projects include Sígueme (2018) , Dream Date (2019), Love and Voodoo (2015), Dock 24 (2019) and No Actors Allowed (2014) premiered at film festivals worldwide.

Kira Gilmore – Producer

Kira is an Executive Producer in advertising with work spanning across broadcast, social and digital. She enjoys jumping from big-budget Super Bowl spots to smaller budget social projects, finding creative ways to ensure the highest production value possible and digging into research on the best ways to turn the creative vision into reality. Wade in the Water is her first foray into feature-length and documentary filmmaking – a new experience she’s excited to be learning from.

Kira grew up surrounded by surf culture in Huntington Beach, and has been working with local activist groups since 2020 to campaign against racism in the city. Wade in the Water is a convergence of things she’s passionate about: filmmaking, the ocean, and working to educate wherever possible to create a more kind and equitable world.

Micheal Warner – Producer

Michael Warner is a double Emmy Award winning producer and director with a passion for telling stories that affect positive social change. Whether he is producing documentary films about injustice and inequity, or directing public service campaigns designed to challenge assumptions and rattle the status quo, Michael’s work reflects his deep belief that well told stories have the power to change the world.

Michael’s professional path has provided opportunity in nearly every production department imaginable. Michael began his career as an actor, and quickly graduated to casting, art department, location services, editorial, camera, sound. lighting, and finally producing and directing.

Michael spent several years working in the feature film industry in Hollywood before focusing his attention on broadcast television, and documentary projects for MTV, ESPN, ABC, HBO, Discovery Networks and The Travel Channel. In 2012 Michael co-founded Frontage Road Studios, a full service production company handling a wide variety of commercial, public service, and corporate accounts.

Michael’s unlimited creativity, range of experience, commitment to cause based work, and big-picture perspective have made him a key contributor to Wade In The Water.

Xahil McDonald – PR Coordinator (He/Him)

Born in Seattle, of Afro-Latino, Filipino, Maya, and European ancestry, Xahil is an equity-minded and passionate emerging writer who wants to change the world. Using words to cultivate common-ground, he holds space for his audience to examine their humanity.

After a successful NCAA DII soccer career, Xahil left fútbol in the rearview and transferred his athletic energy into surfing—currently living among las playas hermosas de México as a freelance copywriter.

Xahil is convinced that stories are where we start—our inception. They are our foundations of being. They are the framework for our navigation of relationships to land, to people, and to the intersection(s) of the two. He also understands that traditionally dominant narratives are rooted in inequity and oppression—and the time to change that is now.

Partnering with Wade in the Water is an organic manifestation of his life’s interests; equity-based stories, surfing, and changing the world.

Alison Rose Jefferson, M.H.C. | Ph.D

Alison Rose Jefferson is an independent historian and third generation Californian. Presently, her research and professional interest revolve around the African American experience in Southern California during the Great Migration of the twentieth century and Jim Crow era. Jefferson is also author of Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era (University of Nebraska Press, 2020).

Dr. Professor Kevin Dawson Ph.D

Kevin Dawson is the Associate Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Group Chair at the University of California, Merced. He is also the author of The Undercurrents of Power and recipient of the Harriet Tubman Book Prize. Prof. Dawson’s contributions dive deep into West Africa’s rich aquatic culture as well as the spiritual significance of maritime activities to these communities.

Selema Masekela

Selema Masekela is a beloved commentator, journalist, musician, and producer best known for his work presenting NBC’s Red Bull Signature Series; ESPN’s Summer and Winter X Games, which he hosted for 13 years; his cultural reporting in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup; and hosting E!’s Daily 10.

Organizations
Black Surfing Association

Established in 1975 by Tony Corley. He began organizing informal fundraisers for junior swimming and lifeguard programs after learning that Black children were statistically much more likely to drown than white children in the United States. He went on to submit a letter to the editor of SURFER in hopes of finding fellow Black surfers who would be interested in connecting and surfing with him. SURFER published that letter in January 1974, which prompted a slew of responses. The organization continues to empower Black youth in Southern California and Rockaway, New York in partnership with Lou Harris.

Black Surfers Collective

Established in 2011, the BSC promotes diversity and cultural awareness in the sport of surfing through community-based activities, outreach, and camaraderie.
Our goal is to sponsor family-oriented activities that get folks down to the beach to share the love of the ocean. These seaside events are used to generate public interest in the sport, the history of surfing, beach culture, and ocean stewardship.


Sofly Surf School

Sofly Surf School was founded by Sahfilli Matturi. Sahfilli grew up in Long Beach, has over 15 years of experience surfing and started a surf school based in Sunset Beach (OC) in 2021 with some of his friends to pass on the stoke. Sofly Surf School provides free classes for all ages and experience levels on every second Saturday of the month. Their goal is to foster community through the fun, healing, and uniting force of the ocean.

Color the Water

A community for BIPOC to reclaim space in the ocean, Color The Water began as a way to fight racism with joy after the murder of George Floyd. We started to offer free surf lessons and media for BIPOC in the LA area. Now we are a diverse, inclusive, anti-racist safe space for hundreds of BIPOC surfers.

Black Surf Club Santa Cruz

Black Surf Club Santa Cruz aims to tear down barriers that oftentimes keep our oceans segregated. By taking a strategic focus on both physical and spiritual wellness, Black Surf Club Santa Cruz aims to create a community of healing for our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Community here in Santa Cruz. Black Surf Club empowers the Black community to reclaim their space in the ocean through surfing, spiritual wellness, water safety, and community.

Cast

Alison Rose Jefferson M.H.C | Ph.D. Rick Blocker
Gregory Rachal
Gregory Jr. Rachal

Marie Rachal
Kevin Dawson Ph. D Sahfilli Matturi
Tre’lan Michael
Jessica Williams Kayiita Johnson
Lizelle Jackson Esabella Grace Bonner Sidy Camara
Chris Dennis
Sharon Schaffer
Vicky Williams
Beyin Abraha
Natasha Smith
Sierra Raequel

Mateo Canu Tony Corley Julian Willams Dedon Kamathi Kody Gruing Remi T. Smith Christine Lawson Selema Masekela Nathan Fluellen Angel Jardine Keano Jardine Brick

Ashley Dawkins Marikah Burnett Mary Olivera Joshe faulkner Amra Mesfin Ezra Mesfin

Sponsors

• ●  Mami Wata

• ●  Patagonia

• ●  Heal the Bay

• ●  Perspectives Space

• ●  Traveler Surf Club & Coastal Outpost

• ●  Surfrider Foundation Long Island

• ●  Office of Supervisor Holly J. Michell – 2nd Supervisorial District, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors