"A cold paradise" - this is how surfing legend Kelly Slater describes Ireland in the surf documentary Wave Riders. This afternoon Julie and I, along with my Mum and Dad had the pleasure of attending the UK premiere of Wave Riders which was playing in Belfast as part of the Belfast Film Festival. No cinematic release has been confirmed yet, but there was talk of a UK release in the Autumn.

I've seen a few surf movies in my time and this is by far the best with stunningly beautiful cinematography combined with a really strong story. I have no doubt it will do well as it manages to weave, Ireland, surfing, big waves and fascinating threads from the history of surfing into one skillfully crafted narrative - and there's a great soundtrack to boot. Keep an eye out for it in the autumn!

As it was the UK premier the team behind the film were there to introduce it and answer some questions at the end. As my Mum noted it made for more of an occasion than simply watching the film and heading for the car as soon as the credits roll. A great reminder that for every 2 hours we spend in a cinema munching popcorn, a large group of people have lived with the film for months if not years. Anyway - the team behind Wave Riders deserve every success and I hope they enjoyed showing it on the big screen in Belfast.