Life as a Movie Premier

Surfers, skaters, snowboarders, boys, girls, and dogs from around the Northwest gathered Friday night to welcome Benji Weatherly and his new film, Life as a Movie, to Seattle. Five bucks got you in the door at evo for a chance to see the crossover boardsport movie and win some rad prizes. It also contributed to the growing feelings of general excitment for the coming winter. Oh, and free beer.

The floor was cleared, the screen pulled down, and people started to trickle in. The beer tent was definitely the main attraction until Weatherly introduced the movie and shed some light on his motivation for the project. Just before pressing play, he tossed out free gear and politely asked for a show of hands to see who actually wore a size 9 shoe before randomly throwing a pair into the crowd. Everyone was stoked (probably not as stoked as the tall kid who won the hoodie) and the movie only added fuel to fire.

Footage from the party and Benji Weatherly talking about his film.

If my life were a movie, this one wouldn’t be so bad. Weatherly set up trips to Japan and Whistler, invited a bunch of friends (who all happened to be pro athletes), and had everyone share their talent and passion with the rest of the group. It was pretty inspiring to see Kelly Slater shredding waves in one scene and pow in the next. If not inspiring, it at least stirred something up; it made you want to get out there and do what you love while simultaneously challenging yourself with new things, new places, new people.

All things come to an end. When the kegs ran out, however, no one panicked. There were 50 cases of Bud Light armed and ready to replenish. It also happened to be Oktoberfest in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, so those who were sick of paying too much for 8oz samples of heady brews found their way to evo and enjoyed something a bit lighter. When asked what they thought of the movie, there were more than a few “Uh… honestly? I just got here dude…” responses. The mood was killer though. The movie was creative and impressive, the night morphed into a dance party, and it was an all around awesome event. Bang up job!