Arthur Bourbon’s new award-winning documentary captures how Robertsport’s young surfers are reshaping community and identity in a country long marked by conflict.
Liberia’s small fishing village of Robertsport has become an unexpected surf haven, rewriting the story of a generation.
In Arthur Bourbon’s new documentary, We the Surfers, surfing is more than a sport—it carries resilience, community, and possibility for youth in a country still recovering from two decades of civil war. The award-winning, intimate film brings Liberia’s blossoming surf culture to the world.
Bourbon grew up in Guadeloupe, later moving to France to pursue a professional surfing career before shifting his focus to filmmaking. His passion is telling surf stories that extend beyond competition, exploring culture, environment, and humanity.
His 2019 film Water Get No Enemy introduced Liberia’s surf scene, following young people as they found purpose in the ocean. What began as a single project grew into an enduring bond with Robertsport. With We the Surfers, Bourbon returns five years later—this time not just an observer, but a trusted friend.
At the heart of the film is the Robertsport Surf Club, launched with the help of a handful of donated boards from the Swiss-German organization Provide the Slide. More NGOs, such as the Universal Outreach Foundation, have helped the club grow into a vibrant community hub.
Today, the Robertsport Surf Club offers a restaurant, lodging, and provides scholarships, environmental programs, and surf therapy. These initiatives create local jobs and provide safe spaces where children can be children, despite ongoing challenges in the country and their personal lives.
The film’s emotional core lies in the surfers themselves, including Samon, who dreams of being one of Africa’s top surfers; Faith, one of the club’s first female surfers; Racan, the son of a former child soldier; and Alfred Lomax, considered the country’s pioneering surfer.
“We provide clean water, we provide education.’ But what we do is, we provide fun. And we intend to do that, because we feel like, if you can have fun in your life at one point, if you do something you love, you can handle the challenges that you have in your life much better.“
Chris Klein, co-founder of Provide the Slide.
We the Surfers pushes back against portrayals of Africa defined by struggle or aid. Instead, it highlights surfing as a source of joy, resilience, and freedom—reminding viewers that fun itself can be transformative.
As Chris Klein, co-founder of Provide the Slide, explains in the film, “When it’s about Africa in European societies, it’s always like, ‘We provide clean water, we provide education.’ But what we do is, we provide fun. And we intend to do that, because we feel like, if you can have fun in your life at one point, if you do something you love, you can handle the challenges that you have in your life much better.”
Bourbon also spotlights how surfing has opened new doors for young women. “During my first trip, there were no active female surfers,” he recalls in the film. “The few boards available made surfing less accessible to women. But that era’s over, and today’s surfing is empowering the girls of the village
Visually, the film is both striking and tender, featuring slow-motion surf sequences and golden sunsets interwoven with Bourbon’s own reflections. Candid glimpses of village life, interviews with surfers, and local music immerse viewers in the rhythms of Robertsport.
The film has already earned international recognition, including Best Cinematography at the International Surf Film Festival of Anglet, Best Film at the Bilbao and Portuguese surf festivals, Best Surf/Skate Film at San Francisco’s Frozen Film Festival, and the USHUAÏA TV Award at FIFAV La Rochelle.
With screenings scheduled through the end of this year and a global release on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Google Play starting September 29, We the Surfers is reaching audiences beyond the surf circle.
At its core, We the Surfers is less about riding waves than about reclaiming childhood, creating opportunity, and revitalizing community in a place long overshadowed by conflict. For Robertsport’s youth, surfing is more than a pastime—it’s a way of reshaping their future.
As Lomax puts it simply in the film, “Surfing is not war, it’s togetherness.”
All imagery courtesy of Arthur Bourbon.
