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BROKEN MOLDS MOVIE: MAKING BROKEN MOLDS 

Finn Mullen interviews ex-pro windsurfer turned filmmaker, Jace Panebianco, to learn more about his new windsurfing movie – ‘Broken Molds’. 

WORDS – Finn Mullen, Jace Panebianco  // PHOTOS – Fish Bowl Diaries, Alan van Gysen 

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Watch the movie here:

Broken Molds: windsurfing film (redbull.com)

Full length windsurfing movies don’t come along very often these days, so I’m pleased to report that not only has ‘Broken Molds’ been recently released, it’s also an absolute belter and a ‘must watch’ for any windsurfing fan! The movie centres on the origins of windsurfing, which, as we all know and the movie admits, are ‘complicated’! What you learn though after watching the movie is just how involved the multi-talented Schweitzer family were in bringing the sport to where it is now. The story is told from their perspective, rather than a wider look at the sport’s beginnings, but what a tale it is. The archive footage and deeply personal interviews with the Schweitzer’s make for compelling viewing, as well as interviews with the who’s who of the windsurfing and surfing world – Kai Lenny, Robby Naish, Laird Hamilton, Gerry Lopez, Jamie O’Brien, Albee Layer, Pete Cabrinha and more! All this is spliced with bang fresh footage of some of windsurfing’s greatest stars, and set to a banging soundtrack. If you love windsurfing, you’ll love it even more after watching this! The movie is made by ex-pro windsurfer Jace Panebianco, and I caught up with Jace to learn more about its production. 

FM Can you tell us how you made the move from pro sailor to filmmaker? 

JP My professional windsurf career was really all about making media. Travel stories, photo spreads, and cartoons… I always enjoyed that part of the job. Web Pedrick and I bought a camera to tape and analyse our freestyle moves and that evolved into filming all of the amazing stuff that happens on Maui. I was throwing these event parties at a local bar where we would show rough-cut videos of big swells and competitions. I eventually met Johnny DeCesare of Poor Boyz Productions and he helped me finish my first film. From there we started working on The Windsurfing Movie with Levi Siver. It all snowballed from there, needless to say, I didn’t stay on tour much longer after that.  

For anyone looking to get into filmmaking, I would say pick up the camera and make something. Don’t let the price of your equipment limit you. Don’t underestimate the power of starting a project and seeing it thru to completion. The best camera you can own is the one that you have on and in your hand when something compelling happens. You’ll gain experience and get better with time, but we live in an age where filmmaking is accessible to all. All you have to do is start. 

FM How did the movie come about? 

JP ‘Broken Molds’ is a movie that has been on my mind since I first started making films. Windsurfing is so important to who I am, that the origin of windsurfing is a story I’ve been meant to tell. In 2012, when we released ‘The SUP Movie’, I had a conversation with Matt Schweitzer; he basically said that he would like to make a film about their family and the start of windsurfing. It’s a really personal story, a lot of emotions, good and bad. It would take a real comfort level to make it work, that conversation with Matt made me understand that we had that comfort level. Well, it took almost a decade and most importantly Scott Shoemaker to get the project started. Executive Producer Scott Shoemaker came to me to make this film because of his friendship with the Schweitzer family and because of how important windsurfing has been to his life. Scott brought all the parts together and wouldn’t accept anything but the best.  

‘Broken Molds’ has been described as ‘A love letter to a sport’ and I love that description. I’d say that this movie was so successful because Matt and Scott’s lifelong friendship is at the root of the project. When writing the screenplay, I called Matt Schweitzer Sr. the ‘reluctant hero’. Scott Shoemaker was instrumental in helping me tell this profoundly personal story. This is my ‘love letter to windsurfing’. 

FM There’s some precious archive footage in there, how did you come on that and make it look so good? 

JP The archive is what got me most excited to make ‘Broken Molds’. When I think of great sports documentaries – like ‘Riding Giants’ and ‘Dogtown and Z-Boys’, well they all started with an amazing archive collection. Hoyle and Diane Schweitzer created so much great media from the early days of windsurfing. The colours, the places and the happiness are so rich in the old 16 mm film and slide stock.  

We paid top dollar to get the best 16 mm rolls transferred and I dug through hundreds of 8 mm rolls and digitized that myself. I was living in the 1970s! Our editor Cody Carter is the real magician; he made the frames and most importantly found the best moments to feature. 

FM You document the cutting edge of surf sports and now have made a historical piece, what are the differences in each perspective. 

JP Making ‘The Windsurfing Movie’ and action pieces like ‘Who is JOB’ or ‘Paradigm Lost’ with Kai Lenny, those are adrenaline pieces. Broken Molds is much more cerebral. There are so many important people and story avenues we could have taken. Making a documentary was all about choosing the story threads and building the narrative around them.  

FM What’s your advice to aspiring longer form filmmakers?  

JP I have made a ton of short clip pieces, mostly to pay the bills. So that’s a reality of the production world, that you’ll make short stuff to help pay for the long features. My advice is to really work on the story, write it out, and make a lot of notes. Because as your piece gets longer, the mistakes you can make get bigger and more damaging to the end product. 

FM What’s your favourite part of the movie and why? 

JP There is a moment where Rhonda Smith Sanchez describes being on the water with Diane Schweitzer and realizes she was sailing with the ‘mother of windsurfing’. That was a moment of a strong woman describing the influence of another strong woman. We wouldn’t be here without Hoyle and Diane. 

FM During the filming of the movie, Zane Schweitzer rode a huge wave at Jaws, which went on to win the IWT big wave award for the 2020/21 season, how did it feel to capture that ride? 

JP One of the things that happened as a result of the Covid pandemic was that Zane didn’t have his regular crazy competition travel schedule. So Zane really focused on riding Jaws this year and our production team was there to document his efforts. That wave was amazing to watch, it represented so much more than just riding a big wave. In some ways it was the culmination of the fifty-year anniversary of the windsurfer and the Schweitzer families’ efforts to bring windsurfing to the world. 

FM You have some of the biggest names in surfing in the movie, how were you able to draw them in? 

JP One of the things we discovered making ‘Broken Molds’, was that the history of windsurfing and surfing are tied together; legends like Laird Hamilton and Gerry Lopez have deep roots in windsurfing. Contemporary surfers like Jamie O’Brien and Albee Layer have never been afraid to speak their minds and that willingness to speak freely is one of the things that makes this movie special. 

FM Lastly, how did you get clearance for a Guns and Roses track? 

JP Lots of money and a good music supervisor – Lory Vincent / Contract Sound.