For some, surfing is a leisure sport. For others, it is a lifestyle, and becoming pro is a dream. For the surfers of Papua New Guinea, surfing is their key to a better life. It all started in the 1980s, when an intrepid Australian left behind his surfboard in the remote seaside village of Vanimo.

In Adam Pesce's directorial debut, he follows four determined surfers leading up to the inaugural Papua New Guinea National Surfing Titles. Two friends, Angelus and Ezekiel, both yearn to be pro surfers but have different perspectives on how to achieve their goal. Sisters Lesley and Susan share the same goal as Angelus and Ezekiel but must also prove that women can make it too. At the center of the film is the challenge for the surfers to win a chance to train with world-class surfers in Australia. Talent is a must for all of them, but coming from village life, where running water is scarce and life options are limited, there is more at stake than just surfing glory. Touching on issues of economic development and women's roles, Splinters sheds a new light on the sports dream.

Adam Pesce and Adam Pesce