Surfing changes lives, but it can also alter the life of a remote fishing village. "The Gift" reveals the story of Pucatrihue, a small community located in the heart of Patagonia's West Coast in Chile.
When, in 2001, two surfers visited Pucatrihue, all they witnessed was a cold and rough existence surrounded by pristine, natural landscapes. Back then, the duo introduced surfing to the local children.
Fourteen years later, in 2015, everything changed in Pucatrihue. The sport of riding waves is part of the community's makeup.
"The Gift," a documentary by Eduardo Bartolome, portrays two young native fishermen who discovered surfing as a different way to relate to the ocean and their struggle to keep alive Pucatrihue Surf Escuela," one of the southernmost surfing schools in the world.
Most of the Patagonian coastline remains unexplored, hiding a vast area of breaks with tremendous surfing potential. The film shares the story of a cold strip of coast far down in Chile and the men who love it.
Pucatrihue is a fishing village with deep Huilliche Mapuche roots and culture. In the next ten years, surf tourism may very well change its landscape forever.