"Godpower" | A Nigerian Surf Movie | Trailer

In Tarkwa Bay, Lagos, surf instructor Godpower hopes a tourist’s lesson will earn him enough to buy a birthday gift for his young son.

But as the day unfolds, what begins as a simple plan becomes a quiet story about fatherhood, love, and what we choose to give the people who matter most.

HOW GODPOWER CAME TO BE

The story began with a T-shirt.

Geoff Browne saw Nigeria listed as a location on a shirt for The Endless Summer, Bruce Brown's 1966 surf film, and couldn't get past it. Surfing in Nigeria. He booked a lesson in Lagos off Instagram, did no research, and went. He met GP Pekipuma under a bridge.

It wasn't what he expected. GP told him they'd need to get on a boat. Browne got on the boat, took the lesson at Tarkwa Bay, and by the end of it knew he wanted to make a film there.

The story came from GP's own life: a surf instructor trying to turn a tourist's booking into a birthday gift for his son, only to find the gift that matters can't be bought. GP shares the story, credits, produces, and plays the lead — his first time acting. The rest of the cast came from Tarkwa Bay itself.

Browne wrote the film, then went back to Lagos alone to shoot it — one camera, no crew. Godpower won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the 29th Dances With Films: LA. Its executive producer is Bruce Brown Films.

THE MAN BEHIND THE STORY

GP Pekipuma (also known as Godpower) is a pioneering surfer, instructor, and community leader from Tarkwa Bay, a coastal community off Lagos, Nigeria. He has been surfing since the age of ten.

GP began by shaping wooden boards by hand and teaching himself to ride the waves. In 2017, he was profiled by Vogue, which described him as a local legend whose surfing had earned him recognition across Africa.

He later founded GP Surf School, where he teaches young Nigerians to surf and helps them build confidence in the ocean. Through surfing and mentorship, Godpower continues to champion Tarkwa Bay and carry its culture to the world.

ISAAC HUMPHREY | SURFER / ACTOR - JAMAL

Issac is the real-life son of GP. This is his first acting role.

He had to “audition” for the part, but he took to it, and the camera loved his natural, honest instincts. Issac has been surfing since he was five years old.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I booked a surf lesson in Tarkwa Bay off Instagram. By the end of it, I knew I wanted to make a film there - not about surfing, but about what the beach is once the tourists have gone home.

GP and I built the film around what actually happens to him: a father who can't earn enough in one day to buy his son a birthday gift, and what that costs him in front of his own child.

I wrote it, then came back to Lagos alone and shot it myself - one camera, no crew, his children playing his children, close enough that there was nowhere for any of us to hide.

What the father never sees coming is that his son doesn't want the cake. He wants to surf with his dad. The boy already knows what things are worth - which means the father taught him after all, on a day he was certain he was failing.

A parent counting money that won't stretch in front of a child who understands more than you want them to: that happens in Lagos, and it happens in Los Angeles.

Geoff Browne

Geoff Browne is an award-winning Canadian-American director, cinematographer, and writer whose work has taken him around the globe, from living and filming with monks in a remote village in Tibet to working closely with communities in Nigeria.

His relationship with Nigeria began in 2008, when he traveled there to film and stayed at an orphanage, beginning a connection that has brought him back to develop and shoot projects ever since.

Geoff has taught a directing masterclass at Wimpro International Film Academy in Port Harcourt and was recognized by the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival for his work telling African stories.

That long relationship with Nigeria ultimately led to Godpower, filmed entirely on location in Tarkwa Bay in close collaboration with GP Pekipuma and the local community.

WRITER & DIRECTOR: Geoff Browne
STORY BY: GP Tamarakuro Pekipuma & Geoff Browne
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Geoff Browne
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Alex Mecl

Full story:
https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/godpower-nigerian-surfer-award-winning-film

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