Paddling out into the ocean, a 5-year-old boy’s life changed forever after he successfully caught his first wave. Forty five years later, Jack Johnson continues to surf, no longer as a profession but to take a break from making hit albums and popular films.
Known for his iconic songs “Upside Down” and “Better Together,” Jack made a name for himself in Oahu, Hawaii, through pipeline surfing. After competing in prestigious events like the Pipeline Masters in 1992, Johnson suffered a serious injury. No longer able to surf, Johnson turned to filmmaking, leading him to his South by Southwest debut on Friday. Filled with themes about friendship, “SURFILMUSIC” tells the story of his life through old film videos, photos and interviews with friends and family who have been in his life since his college days.
“Emmet (Malloy), Chris (Malloy) and I, when we started making films I was barely out of school and it was like an extension of learning together,” Johnson said. “To have friends that forgive you when you really blow it and they love you no matter what, that was a pretty comfortable situation.”
Johnson met Emmet and Chris Malloy after he began performing music live. The trio quickly turned from friends into business partners, creating their first surfing film “Thicker than Water” in 2000 and their second, “The September Sessions,” released later that same year. This 2026 release continues the collaboration through a documentary directed by Emmet and produced by Chris, telling the story of all three of their lives, aspirations and successes.
“For this film, I do a lot of films, you would think because it’s about my friend and our story, it would go quick and easy,” Emmet said. “This was not that at all, this was the longest I’ve ever worked on a film because we didn’t have anyone we were making it for but ourselves, and that leaves a very open timeline. We really leaned into it and made sure every frame in the film was considered, and I think that’s why it turned out to be the way that it is.”
With videos from the beginning of Jack’s life, photos of him and his wife, Kim Johnson, on their European trip, footage used in his past films and interviews with current and past surfers, Kim said the best part of creating the documentary was taking a trip down memory lane.
“Today we’re just fast paced (with) digital pictures and you’re taking pictures of everything,” Kim said. “Back then, it was a little more conservative with your film. To look back and actually see what you chose to capture is really fun.”
Having been at SXSW before, Emmett said this year felt different. Including behind-the-scenes jam sessions, the life and passing of close friend Tamayo Perry and professional surfers from both past and present, the audience connected to the film in more ways than one.
“This (film) really surprised me in so many joyful ways that I was kind of thrown off,” Emmett said. “I got lost in it. I just sat there and was like, ‘Oh my god that was so funny,’ even if I was the one who said it … it caught me off guard the way the audience took to it.”
The film’s soundtrack, created by Jack and Hermanos Gutiérrez, will be released May 15 on all streaming platforms, with the film set to hit theaters in June. Jack said, although he’s nervous for the world to see all of himself, he’s excited to share their message.
“Even though it’s our story and it’s very close to us and it’s nerve-racking to see yourself on screen, I feel like it does show a really good story about friendship,” Jack said. “What happens when you trust friends.”
