Four Years of a First Film
"I've been working on my first feature doc for 4 years and counting." A documentary following a surfer who joins Norway's largest beach-cleaning crew, which is to say, following herself. This facet is the unglamorous half of filmmaking: pitching, funding, editing, and the festival circuit that decides whether a film gets made at all, Sheffield Doc/Fest, IDFA, CPH:DOX. "Behind every 10-minute pitch are 10,000 hours of chaos."
Part of Luisa
54 moments in this segment.
- - TRAVELLING KETCHUP PART 3 The Idun Ketchup bottles that we’ve found…. ’s the consumers that have to pay, but by involving the producers, all parts in the value chain will have a common incentive to reduce the environmental footprint. #holdnorgerent #beachcleanup #sailing #norway #helgelandskysten #helgeland #marinelitter
- - TRAVELLING KETCHUP PART 4 Today we met Orkla, and NRK, the biggest…
- - Right so lads and lassies, in 23 I will try to slowly ease myself…. 23 wohoo:) (!! important!! this is not representative of my editing skills - just a funsy quickly made video lolol)
- - Wohoo I am almost on time for my lil monthly recap of February!. ! A lot of excitement for a mere 28 days! - drone footage of Henningsvær at 0:36 by @dennisjons (disclaimer: this is just a funsy bumpy quickly made video - no representation of my filmmaking skills)
- - Ahhh the year is slipping by, March has been so lovely and I am so…. ) as always, just a funsy lil vlog about my month, no representation of my filmmaking skills:) (lol apparently insta also cropped the video a little, so not all text is visible, unfortunately its not me surfing on those two clips there! )
- - Wahooo April has been so lovely that I kinda forgot filming, so…. ) And apparently being in the windy ocean with a half-broken wetsuit for too long also isnt that great for my voice 😅🤧 As always, just a funsy lil compilation of some nice moments, no representation of my filmmaking skills:) (also can someone tell me how to get Instagram to not eff up the colours of the video?:D helppp) Hope you had a good month! Lots of love <3
- - Portugal, Norway, Germany, Canada - jaysus what a month!. ! working hard and full-heartedly enjoying my off-days <3 (the ending of the little recap sums it all up) I didn’t bring my camera to Canada on purpose and what others might regard as a missed opportunity (and some small part of myself sometimes too;D) allowed me to be more present in the now:) And you know the craic anyway, this here is just meant to be funsy, no intention to represent my filmmaking skills
- - Sweet sweet June ☀️ - (you know the craic, this isnt meant to…. )
- - I know the recap is pretty fast cut and a little longer than usual -…. ! And still this little vlog could never embrace all the stories and things that happened, every day feeling like a new adventure. Norway, you have my heart 🌊🎥, you know the craic, this is nothing more than me wanting to show you what I‘ve been up to, no intention to represent my filmmaking skills
- - arriving <3 - - you know the story, this isnt meant to represent my…. )
- - all the money shots are in the end… 🙊 so grateful for such a…. ! all the clips that are non-iphone footage are shot by @rodrigo_mp___ and @maxsc123, a production for @moka_surfhouse you know the story, this isnt meant to be representative of my filmmaking skills, just wanting to share what ive been up to:)
- - To joy too contagious to keep, to overflowing love, to peace within…. 3 you know the story, no intentions to showcase my film making skills just wanting to share my little experiences:)
- - November felt like a love letter to life <3 - - you know the craic,…
- - December felt like a lot of playing around, the little humans that…. ’re all the same at the core - all waking up, having our breakfast, hoping for some sunshine - and focus on embracing our similarities instead of being divided by our differences. I hope you had a lovely year, lets make 2024 a great one:) (you know the craic, just sharing my wee experiences here, not intending at all to showcase any filmmaking skills)
- - Now this was my first time being in a desert and it exceeded all…. ☀️ I am feeling super grateful for having had this experience and for our Amazigh guides and the Amazigh people we met for sharing their traditions with us and allowing us an insight into their lives and culture. The Amazigh people (often called Berber) are the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa. Their self-name Amazigh means „free man“, encapsuled by this symbole ⵣ 📷: all photos by my lovely jovely adventure partner @tiffyeu You know the craic, I am just makin these wee vids for fun, no intention to showcase any filmmaking skills
- - 90 sekunder film - 90 minutters arbeid - og 9 tonn „havplast“ på vei…. 9 tonn plastforsøpling fra Svellingflaket innerst i Lofoten. Plasten er ryddet av vår samarbeidspartner @strandryddere i løpet av de siste ukene. Oppdraget er en del av @rydd_i_tide, systematisk strandrydding finansiert av @handelensmiljofond - faktisk, verdens største ryddeaksjon. Les mer her: https://www.rydditide.no/ Takk til Ellingsen Seafood for lån av brygge for lossing.:-) Vi er stolt medlem av @holdnorgerent, @avfallnorge og Foreningen Bølgen
- - Meet our amazing 'Live' crew!. ! 🌿✨️ We've been hard at work cleaning up in Vestland, just north of Bergen. Here's the team making it all happen: - Marieke, 20, gap year student 🇩🇪. She's a new recruit but already an essential part of the crew. - Jacopo, 22, documentary filmmaker 🇮🇪. He's on a mission to save every single fender he spots. - Tom, 25, energy transition engineer 🇨🇵. He's the fastest picker in town. - Illany, 23, marine science graduate 🇪🇦. She's got some fascinating insights into marine litter and climate change. - Morten, 30, skipper 🇧🇻. He keeps the crew energised while out picking with his awesome music choices. Next
- - VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: this is just a wee summary for Instagram, NOT…. / trailer - if you are interested in seeing that please DM me 🥰 But yeah, this project has been my baby for the past 5 years and I feel incredibly lucky to have met so many amazing inspiring people in the process. This story will be Episode 1 of @playbook.for.a.planet - an environmental series about ordinary people creating change from the ground up (go check it out 🥰) If you are a brand or individual who would like to support the project and partner with us, please also reach out! This story deserves to be told and I can’t wait to share it with you
- - And just like that, I finished another lap around the sun yesterday!. ! ☀️🥰 And I couldn’t be feeling more grateful for this little life and proud of myself for making it all happen. And in between directing a political plastic pollution documentary, travelling all around the world, having found the absolute bestest friends and community, making a home in Portugal, surfing sick waves, injuring myself heavily and relearning to walk, falling in love again and getting my heart broken, living in extremely troubled times filled with humanitarian and environmental crises, …. one truth emerges again and again: life is fuckin short and fragile
- - Surfer. Environmentalist. Filmmaker. 🌊♻️ Hey, I’m Luisa @l.uisa1 and…. ’ve been with ITSB for 5 years now, time to show my face around here a bit more hehe ☀️ Se(a) yous a lot more now whoop 🥰🥳
- - POV: You signed up for 2 months of volunteering in Norway.... 5 years later, you’re still here. Oops. 😅🎬 I first came here in winter 2020, thinking I’d do a short stint of beach cleaning. Fast forward, I am working full-time for InTheSameBoat, documenting the work, the people, the struggle, and the wins. 💙 Some places just pull you in, and this one never let go. 🌊♻️ 🎥: @l.uisa1 #BeachCleanup #Norway #Filmmaking
- - Lads… the past week has been a daydream Sheffield Doc/Fest 2025 -…. 🎥 Its been madly intense, felt like a life and just so right ♥️ I attended my first film fest with my first feature film project - and omg all the hard work of the last months (intense prep for the fest but I really dedicated the past 4 years to this project) was so worth it - very happy with my life choices 🥹 I had back to back to back meetings for 5 days straight (probably around 50 meetings) and it just went so (!!) well - I was pretty nervous and insecure and self-doubting before - but just received an overwhelming amo
- - TANAFJORDEN - The movie May the 2nd I left home to join In The Same…. *It has been an incredible team effort with everybody contributing with their own skills.* My project will need some time to see life, but I am now happy to share this preview with you that is announcing the official release of the Tanafjorden
- - Another successful year at ⛵️✨🌍 This past week, the Bris crew…. Another successful year at @trenafestivalen ⛵️✨🌍 This past week, the Bris crew sailed to Træna and join the festival 🎉 We ran an educational stand, premiered our latest movie (check it out on YouTube if you haven’t yet), did some beach cleaning and enjoyed the music ✨ Thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand and who attended the movie screening. Our work wouldn’t be as impactful if we couldn’t share our mission and spread the awareness of the work we do. Thank you @trenafestivalen for having us! Until next year 💫🤍 #plasticpollution #beachcleaning #marinelitter #musicfestival #træna
- - As a creative person (and just a human in general) I am always…. (like YOU reading this!). There is this constant lump in my throat - aching to find expression. Trying to turn an invisible feeling into something made of language. But I am coming to terms with the impossibility of it - we are all so beautifully unique and it will never fully be ours to cross the membrane. And it’s heartbreaking in a way - that you are you and I am me - and we will just never >fully< get each other. But while communication can be clumsy and we don’t have universal e
- - Around 80% of the waste we collect along Norway’s coast comes from…. 2024 we met with fishers, farmers, producers, suppliers and industry organisations across the country. Everyone acknowledged the problem, signaled they take it seriously, and wanted to take responsibility, but stressed it must be shared fairly. Many felt it should have been organised by the government. Since authorities aren’t stepping up, we created Plastic Free Seafood: a way for seafood companies to share the costs of cleanup and prevention. For each company the cost is minimal, but together it creates real resources to collect lost gea
- - Oh London… I came here beginning of August - intending to stay for 1…. ’t get me wrong: This city has given me so much - I came here to find the right production partners and investors to finish my feature documentary. And the people I’ve been able to speak to and the meetings I’ve been having are beyond anything I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. Somehow everything feels and is possible here - making my own London dream (like the American dream but European ya know? haha) BUT my heart belongs to the sea.
- - Tell me your birthday is comin up without tellin me your birthday is…. (aka quarter life crisis haha) And another funfact: Apparently you are meant to be at your peak hot-ness at 25! Cause from 25 onwards your cells are dying faster than they‘re replacing themselves. Also: Whenever someone used to ask me my age or made assumptions (both in private and professional life) I was always happy when they thought I was older than I was (hoping I would belong more, be taken more seriously etc). These days I wanna shout from the rooftops that I am still young („really, I am, please believe me, these wrinkles are just smile-lines,
- - Behind every 10-minute pitch are 10,000 hours of chaos lol 🤪 I´ve…. 4 years and counting, but only approached the actual documentary film industry a few months ago (why so late? idk either haha) Anyway, I am going to one of Europe’s biggest documentary film festivals in a few days (the ultimate networking place) so please help me manifest great meetings & maybeee running into a specific certain comissioning lady (hint: the name of the streamer starts with Net… 😇) I´ll try n vlog it a bit for yous if I am not too overwhelmed by it all! #film #documentary #documentaryfilm #docfest #SurferGirl #Do
- - And that is a wrap on one of Europes biggest documentary film…. ! 😱🥳😍 So before IDFA (International Doc Fest Amsterdam) I reaaaally wasn’t keen on going at all and only got my pass pretty last minute - my story consultant lowkey “forced” me to go. I just really wasn’t in the mood for networking. Now, after IDFA, I am SO feckin grateful I listened to my story consultant - THAT IS A WRAP OF: 5 days mad intense doc fest bubble, 50+ meetings, very little sleep, (but a lot of free beers 🤪), millions of chats, and so so so many brilliant connections. New and old friends and I am BUZZING BUZZING for everything the
- - BEYOND THE DEBRIS - FROM LOCAL EFFORT TO GLOBAL IMPACT.. 've never been, when someone watching our film decides to take their first action for the planet. Every moment of community, as crews pull heavy nets together, every instance of learning to trust themselves with real responsibility and the power of making change, these are the seeds of a movement that grows across continents. We want to shape a generation that sees nature not just as a resource, but as
- - So I have been an *official* beachcleaner since 2020, working…. ’s biggest beachleanup NGO that cleans 10% of the world’s coastlines! Love this job, love that I get to work with the most inspiring people and love that I am making a documentary about it all (and more!) What “evil” thing (according to dear-not-so-dear Mr. Trump) are you doing in life? ❤️ May us villains unite lol 🌍, #surfer #environmentalist #ocean #norway #surfergirl #plasticpollution #beachcleaning #adventure #thereisnoplanetb #filmmaker #documentary #marinelitter
- - Could I have had a very well paying, very easy job working in…. ’s coolest beachcleaning NGO and directing a feature documentary about plastic pollution - and am filled everyday with so much love-turned-into-action for the ocean ❤️🥰🌊 (PS: no font to commercial editors btw, I also learned SO MUCH working as one, and it made me a way better documentary director - but purely commercial work just wasn’t the ri
- - I dedicated the past 5+ years to cleaning Norway’s stunning and…. ’s green façade - interviewing politicians and lobbyists, to making my first documentary film about it all 🥰 And again and again I realise: The antidote to everything that is wrong with the world is love - in the form of taking action ♥️ So grateful to be working with passionate volunteers from all over the globe - who are living on sailboats and cleaning 10% of the world’s coastline!! And this is just the start - TOGETHER we can change the narrative ♥️ Have you ever been to Nor
- - So I am currently working on my first feature documentary that…. ’s largest beachcleanup NGO (that cleans 10% of the worlds coastline!), to then uncovering what is actually going on behind Norway’s “green” façade and confronting global power structures. And to make it happen, I am going to doc film fests and looking for the right partners to bring this story out into the world! This was FIPADOC in Biarritz (one of the big European Doc Film Fests) - my days were super packed with a bunch of meetings - 5 days of networking like a mad woman haha! I am still finding my place in this industry
- - Soo yeaah I’ve been working on this doc for about 4 years now but…. (looking for producers etc) - and now things are starting to get real!! Eeeek! This whole project is one of the most daunting journeys I’ve ever embarked on, but I am also crazy passionate and SO ready to do what it takes to get this film out into the world!:) So yeah, heads up: you‘ll be seeing more from me on here now ☀️ And your support would mean the world of course. Thanks for being here ♥️, #plasticpollution #ocean #surfergirl #documentary #womenindocs
- - This whole thing is for sure the maddest journey I have ever…. 🙏🌊☀️, #documentary #plasticpollution #surfergirl #ocean #womeninfilm
- - Eeeeeek I am SO excited, this producer has made some HUGE docs that…. 🙈 The past 8 months have been pretty cray-cray and honestly, had you told Luisa from a year ago that she would get to meet all these inspiring film people, jaysus… Pinching myself every day. BUT I am also veryyyy nervous and imposter-syndrome is SO REAL haha. Sure look, the only way is forward. #womeninfilm #documentary #plasticpollution #surfergirl #ocean
- - CPH:DOX 2026 - you‘ve been so good ❤️ This was my 4th doc film…. 1 week before the festival: Total stress - scrambling, prepping, researching, not feeling ready, overthinking, and well… pretty much dreading to go. >> Day 1 of the festival: Finding my bearings - I am probably a bit socially awkward and wondering whether people can just tell that this is my first film and I am very much learning on the go. >> Day 2-3: I have THE BEST time ever - connecting, chatting, LOVING it, feeling so inspired and hopeful. Deep deep gratitude for being part of this community. >> Day 4: The dip - bei
- - THANK YOU SOOO MUCH LADS AND LASSIES THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INSANEEEE…. ♥️♥️♥️ All this support truly means the world as I am inching closer towards my dream of making/finishing my first feature documentary film that I’ve been pouring all of my heart into over the past years. A film about fighting for a clean ocean. And there are so many exciting things happening and I can’t wait to share more with you! Thanks so much for being here for the ride 🫶 mwahhh ♥️, #documentary #ocean #surfergirl #environment #plasticpollution
- - Do you know where most of the oxygen we breathe comes from?. 👉 Phytoplankton are microscopic plant-like organisms and the primary producers of oxygen in the ocean. Without much of life on Earth would not exist! We fight for a clean and thriving ocean not because it’s “fun” but because we can’t afford not to. We all need a clean and thriving planet. And we need everyone’s help to make that happen 💙 #inthesameboat #sciencefacts #protectouroceans #illustrations
- - Point No 5 is a bit cringe, but my fav 🙊 I recorded this a while ago…. ’t reaaallyyy feel like going to just cause I couldn’t be bothered, to kind of remind myself why putting yourself out there just always works. And - surprise surprise - it was totally worth it and I had so many great meetings! And I totally get how it can be so awkward and uncomfy to speak about your project / your business ideas / your passion / etc, buuuut just gotta push through:) Who knows what will be waiting on the other side! But ofc - very important - be mindful with who you reach out to, do your research, protect
- - I am also totally saying this to my present self who is still very…. ’s the takeaway here? Three things: Try not to be too hard on yourself for only knowing now what only time could have taught you, I guess! And learning to forgive yourself, learning to embrace the journey and the unknowing, learning to just trust! And also enjoying the now! Like yes, there is still so much path ahead of us and we are miles away from where we want to be - but also turn around and see which hills we’ve already trek
- - I joined this Norwegian beachcleanup crew 6 years ago, we live on…. ’s coastline from marine litter - some of the most remote and rough places on the planet. And because Norway’s coastline is the second longest in the world, that means we actually clean 10% of the world’s coastline, like whaaaaat 😱 I am also a surfer and documentary director and currently working on my first feature film about plastic pollution, all the shady business that is going on behind Norway’s green façade and a young generation fighting back! Welcome to my world! Come join me on my mission whooop 🥰🥳, #surfergirl #ocean #norway #plast
- - Realistically, I sat there for like 1 hour ish - then it got kinda…. ) being able to work remotely = always on the lookout for the oddest (and most beautiful) spots to be click-clacking from This was on a sailboat in Norway, in a bay somewhere tucked away, and I was jotting down ideas for my feature documentary on plastic pollution. I truly love the flexibility and freedom this work gives me 🫶, #remotework #sailboat #norway #ocean #digitalnomad
- - And of course not all my days look like this.. (which I very much enjoy doing). But being out there in remote nature, cleaning beaches and spending time with the crew, reminds me of what has kept me going for the past 6 years 🫶 No better feeling than being super exhausted and leaving a clean island behind - one, that just a few hours ago, was heavily polluted with nets, crates, bottles and styrofoam 🥰, #norway #plasticpollution #beachcleaning #surfergirl #60secondsforthesea @sealegacy
- - For me, the only way to cut through that feeling of helplessness is…. ! Six years ago, when I kept encountering plastic litter when surfing, I got tired of everyone only talking about the issue. I wanted to actually get my hands dirty and try and make an impact. So at 19 | joined Norways largest beach cleaning organisation and was meant to stay for a 2 months mission. Well... six years later and I am still involved with them - cleaning one of the most remote and vulnerable coastlines of the planet and now also making a documentary film about it all! Aaahh!! (Come follow me on my journey of making tha
- - I want to build a environmental documentary series together with you…. ! So, if by any chance you are witnessing, or part of… 🌍 Exposing an environmental scandal? 🌍 Defending nature against industry? 🌍 Struggles for environmental justice? 🌍 Radical solutions to protect your part of the planet? Or anything along those lines? Then please give me a shout! The goal is to create a series that actually drives change and spreads hope - creating ripples, waves set in motion. (This is a bit of an experiment - but I just think it would be so cool to develop a series together with you and involve you from the st
- - Before the filmmaking, before the investigations, before all the…. (ughh so cheesy but so true haha!) And these days, when everything feels a bit too overwhelming - the destruction, the injustice, the pain - I try to remind myself of that first why, the initial reason why I started this journey in the first place. All the things that make my heart feel like a sun about to explode. Because I don’t want to act from a place of fear. But from one of love and connectedn
- - I just spent the past 2.5 months in Norway (with short intervals in…. ), working on a documentary film project on plastic pollution, and while it’s been very inspiring, intense and important - it’s also been very lonely at times. Since I was 19 I have been on the constant move - last year I only spent 2 months or so in Portugal (my “home base”) - and while I love love love travelling and all the excitement and adventure and uncertainty and endless possibilities; the “older” I get, the more I also crave stability and a place to unpack the suitcase. Where I can find all the light switches in the dark.
- - I’m just feeling incredibly grateful for everyone in this industry…. (or wine), shared advice, made an introduction, pushed me to think big and outside of the box and believed in me. Soooo many inspiring people out there that I’ve been getting to learn from and work with - can’t wait to see what the next year brings! ♥️ And of course it is a really tricky industry to break into (is anything worthwhile ever easy?), but it still feels so right pursuing it - going for what haunts and excites me. Also if you are at Sheffield DocFest next week COME SAY HI 🫶, #womeninfilm #docu
- - It is World Ocean Day today!!. !! 🌊♥️ And I am so happy that I get to spend my days working towards something that feels deeply meaningful - trying to live a life full of purpose, creativity and joy, chipping away at bits of a much bigger picture together with some incredibly inspiring people. As a surfer, the ocean has always felt like home. And somewhere along the way, filmmaking became another way of being in relationship with it - a way of paying attention, asking questions and maybe helping others fall in love with it too. And somehow, the Venn diagram of ocean (and nature) protection, storytelling and community building just ended
- - Also, the resistance is funnnn:) I have been lucky enough to meet…. ), #ocean #environmentalism #plasticpollution #beachclean #hopecore
- - I mean, tbf, sometimes I am asking myself the same question - but…. ) I am here to beach clean and shoot for my documentary on plastic pollution - and this boat belongs to a Norwegian NGO that works with international volunteers, who clean 10% of the world’s coastline. How sick is that?! 😍 This boat load here was a day’s work - around 1200 kilos of plastic litter collected! So I guess this is my long-winded way of saying… don’t worry mum, I’m having a really good time:), #sailing #norway #remote #plasticpollution
