Staff Writer

In a quest for a documentary with more than just “good surfers on good waves, doing good tricks with good music,” documentary filmmaker and surfer Ben Keller discovered more.

 “When I shot my last film [“Ishmael”] of ‘why do crazy people do crazy things like surfing in the middle of winter in New England?’ I thought there might be some deeper reason and I wanted to explore that further,” Keller said. 

So Scarborough resident Keller asked friends, friends of friends, and even strangers, to talk about surfing and why they’re drawn to the ocean. After three years of interviewing and filming surf footage, Keller produced “BlueGreen,” which will have its Maine premiere in Ogunquit Thursday, June 18. 

With its “dominating presence” on Earth, Keller said the ocean is a source of food, livelihood and weather patterns. In the documentary, he asks 13 people – surfers, a surfing rabbi and an environmental activist – about the human connection to the ocean.

The film begins with a global perspective, with Keller’s interviews of surfers from around the world. He said it “brings it all home” with interviews from Gulf Of Maine Research Center’s Don Perkins, and lobsterman, urchin diver and surfer Mike Beauregard of Ogunquit.

“This isn’t your average surf flick. Through the incredible stories of the folks in the film, the viewer is asked to look at their own connections, and assess their importance,” Keller said. “Maybe that’s why I did the film, because I can’t put my finger on it.”

But, he added, messages from people in the film have heightened his awareness and connection to the ocean each time he watches the film. 

Keller, who has lived in the Scarborough area for about 13 years, grew up in Boston, and attended college in New York. He said trips during his “very urban” childhood are what ignited his passion for the ocean. 

He learned how to surf on rental equipment, and said he developed a “healthy fear” of the ocean.

“I’ve seen it do some terrible things, but I’ve also seen it in all its glory,” Keller said. “The ocean has so many faces and moods. People sometimes get into trouble because they think we know the ocean, but we should know what our limitations are.” 

For Keller, surfing is one of the few opportunities to “move with nature.” Out on the ocean as a surfer paddles for a wave, he said all that matters is that two to 15 seconds of a ride. 

“That’s it. It’s just you and the ocean,” Keller said. 

The Maine premiere of “BlueGreen” is 7 p.m., Thursday, June 18, at Leavitt Theater, 259 Main St., Ogunquit. Tickets are $8 at the door, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Northern New England Surfrider chapter. Surfrider is also raffling a surfboard. Copies of the documentary on DVD are available for purchase at the premiere, or by visiting www.bluegreenconnection.com. 

Staff writer Emma Bouthillette can be reached at 282-4337 ext. 237.