"Riss. A Film about More Love with Carissa Kainani Moore" brings fans an in-depth look at Hawaii's legendary surfer champion, Carissa Moore.
The film is centered around the 2019 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) season and Olympic qualification.
Viewers will be able to follow the Honolulu native's journey in giving back, inspiring the younger generation, and ultimately striving to be defined by more than the results.
As a ruthless competitor who holds herself to the highest standards, Carissa became the youngest WSL champion in professional surfing and a four-time world Titleist.
Following her third championship in 2015, success was met with challenging years ahead.
As other women dominated the podiums, Moore struggled to find her footing, which caused a reevaluation of priorities.
"I've always been chasing results and other people's validation. In 2019, I was finally like, 'No, none of that matters. I'm a daughter; I'm a sister. I'm a friend; I'm a wife," says Moore.
A Turning Point
"Riss." ushers in a new phase of Carissa's life while celebrating a comeback that was the culmination of years of emotional searching and hard-won personal strides.
"I felt like I was in a three-year funk and just not flowing. I hit, not rock bottom, but I guess you could say that. I hit a pretty low point," adds the Hawaiian surfer.
"For me, that was a pretty defining moment where I thought, 'OK, things have to change.' That was the inspiration to make that daily commitment to start changing the way that I looked at things."
It captures the turning point and how the 2019 title race unfolded as a result.
"My goal was to peel back layers and show the person behind the athlete," says the director, Peter Hamblin.
"Everyone sees this one perspective of her, and [I wanted] to show the depth of her personality and what a wonderful person she is."
An Impressive Career
In 2010, Carissa qualified for her first season on the ASP World Tour, which is now known as the World Surf League.
In that debut season, she won two major contests, finished third overall, and was named Rookie of the Year. Not bad for a 17-year-old newbie.
The following season, Carissa was the youngster to watch on the World Tour and lived up to the reputation by winning three events and claiming her first world crown, unseating four-time defending champ Stephanie Gilmore in the process.
"Having a script and knowing exactly what I wanted to capture made my life totally easy from a time perspective," notes Hamblin.
"The majority of my time with Carissa was spent without a camera getting to know her. And then when I picked up a camera, it was capturing what I wanted, asking her bizarre questions, getting offbeat [footage] from her."
At 18, Moore became the youngest person, male or female, to win a surfing world title.
Carissa went on to take World Tour championship honors again in 2013.
She then finished off the top step of the podium in 2015, where it required a monumental mental adjustment, but she sees it as part of the journey.
Returning to her best form impressively in 2019, Carissa surfed to victory at Jeffreys Bay and Hossegor on her way to a memorable fourth World Surf League title after a four-year gap.
She also went on to secure her place on the 2021 USA Olympic surf team.
But "Riss." is more than just trophies and accolades.
"This is a real look into who I am as a person, and I hope people are inspired to live authentically, chase their dreams, and treat others with love," says Carissa.
"Peter's done a very good job of taking a genuine, real look into who I am as a person."
The film will be available on Red Bull TV on May 11, 2020.