Nowness · Into The Unknown — Dan Buyanovsky.

I met Hiroto in the summer of 2019. I visited Chiba to take photos of him; everywhere we went, the locals gazed upon their hometown hero with pride. A year later, I returned to Chiba with a film crew to capture Hiroto as he prepared for the Japan Open, and the Olympics after that. Both were taking place on Tsurigasaki Beach, the very beach where he learned to surf. Hiroto was made for this moment. The film’s first draft focused on how one cannot own the beach they claim, but how they can own the memories of the hours spent on it, waiting for their moment. We thought it told a powerful story…

2020 showed us how fickle storytelling can be. One day, I was documenting a new friend’s path toward the world’s biggest sporting event. The next day, that event got postponed. For a year. For the first time, ever. The day after that, every plan we had was put in limbo. And we were all left wondering: what do we do with ourselves while the world is off its axis? How do we continue on our journey? How do we process the lives being lost, the businesses crumbling and the kids whose dreams are being deferred in real-time? I admire Hiroto, who pondered these same questions, but also had the power to keep his purpose in focus.

Hiroto is a surfer. It is not a profession, it is an identity. He has been surfing since he was five years old, when his mother pushed him and his board into the cold ocean. And in an uncertain moment, he remained committed to his craft. Because he was not on his journey into the unknown alone. He was fortified by his family, his community and every kid after him, who will grow up knowing that they can surf their way into the Olympics. Because they saw him do it.

Premiered by Nowness Asia, launched by Hurley.

Writer/Director: Dan Buyanovsky

DP: Mikul Eriksson

Production: PUSH

EPs: Mike Sunda, Kristian Kvam Hansen and Kristin Skar Forseth

Underwater Camera: Akira Jet

Camera Assistant: Mikael Senninge

Editor: Amerigo Brini

Translators: Lika Kumoi and Mitchell Lee

Music: Koda

Colorist: Mikul Eriksson

PA: Sam King