Surfing in the cinema: Surf documentary "On The Wave" about Sebastian Steudtner starts in March

German big wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner comes to the cinema on 5 March 2026! At the centre of "On the Wave" is one of the most fascinating stories in professional sport: the career of three-time Big Wave Award winner Sebastian Steudtner, who holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed at 26.21 metres in Nazaré, Portugal.

From landlocked country to world record

Steudtner's story begins far from the sea in Nuremberg. Even as a child, he felt drawn to the water and started out as a windsurfer. At the age of just 16, he emigrated alone to Hawaii, where he was taken in by a local Hawaiian family and learnt to surf from scratch in the cradle of surf culture. The defining moment of his career came when he saw the legendary big wave surfer Laird Hamilton in Jaws. This moment becomes a turning point - Steudtner sets himself the goal of becoming a professional big wave surfer himself.

With iron discipline and hard training, the German quickly progressed and surprisingly won the "Surf Oscar" for the biggest wave of the year in 2010. But instead of the expected breakthrough with fame, recognition and lucrative sponsorship contracts, as an outsider in the segregated and hyper-competitive surfing scene on the US West Coast he mainly experiences rejection and ridicule. This setback forces him to start from scratch in Europe.

Nazaré - Steudtner's new home

The tack in Steudtner's career comes with his discovery of the Portuguese coastal town of Nazaré. Here he not only found a new home, but also the perfect conditions for his sport. What was previously a sleepy coastal village developed into one of the hottest surf spots in the world and set new standards for the spectacle of big wave surfing. It was here that he finally achieved his world record with a 26.21 metre wave.

The documentary "On The Wave" takes viewers on this extraordinary journey from Nuremberg via Hawaii to Nazaré. The film combines interviews with close companions and surfing legends such as Laird Hamilton and Maya Gabeira with breathtaking landscape shots of the world's most famous big wave spots. The material is complemented by fascinating surfing scenes and previously unreleased private footage that paint a comprehensive picture of Steudtner's journey.

Jürgen Klopp and Wladimir Klitschko among the producers

"On The Wave" not only portrays a border crosser and outsider who, despite all the setbacks, becomes a pioneer and changes the world of surfing forever. The film is also a story about extremes, records, holding on to dreams and the pursuit of happiness. Viewers are taken right into the heart of big wave surfing - a discipline that is considered an extreme sport even within the surfing community and is only practised at the highest level by a few athletes worldwide.

The BROADVIEW Pictures production was shot in 4K Cinemascope and mixed in Dolby Atmos. Peter Wolf and Axel Gerdau are responsible for the direction, while Emmy award-winner Leopold Hoesch is the producer. Pelayo Cortina Koplowitz, Wladimir Klitschko and Jürgen Klopp are involved as executive producers. Behind the camera was Johannes Imdahl, who was already responsible for the visual design on productions such as "KROOS", "Nowitzki" and "Stromberg". André Hammesfahr, who previously worked on films such as "Beckenbauer", "KROOS", "Nowitzki" and "Schwarze Adler", was responsible for the editing.

Info under broadview.tv