Yama, Maddie Meddings’ debut documentary short follows Australian surfer and activist Lucy Small as she travels to Ghana to meet with a group of pioneering female surfers and skaters.
Once a stronghold of the transatlantic slave trade and with a history of Atlantic aquatic surf culture that precedes colonial invasion, this is a story of a reclamation and joy.
Aiming to tell a story that challenges the representations that many African nations are commonly subjected to in western media, Yama begins in the bustling city of Accra and travels to the wave rich coastline where there are communities driving the budding Ghanaian modern surf scene.
The Fantes are the people who populate the area where female surfers live. Yama is their name for the wooden boats that still cross Ghana's shoreline today.
Awards of note:
Florida Surf Film Festival - Best short documentary
Dana Point Film Festival - Women in film award
Oregon Documentary Film Festival - Best international Director finalist
Montauk Film Festival - Semi finalist
Jersey Surf Film Festival - Special mention
Surf City Festival - Best international film nominee
