Rory Kennedy, the producer and director known for "Last Days in Vietnam," "Ethel" and "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib," is tackling a new genre in her latest project, called "Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton."
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"One of the things that attracted me to this story and making this film was that it wasn't a typical surfer movie," she said.
The film tells the remarkable story of an American icon who transformed the sport of surfing over a professional career spanning decades.
"This is really about a guy who was innovative, who has changed this sport radically over the last 50 years," Kennedy said. "I've done a lot of very serious, social issues-type documentaries, and I've never taken on a film like this before."
It is an in-depth profile of a man who transcends sports and was driven to greatness, including developing one of the sport's most significant breakthroughs.
"What surfing has brought me is worth everything," Hamilton said.
The 53-year-old father of three has been married to professional volleyball player Gabrielle Reese for nearly 20 years, and he splits his time between residences in Malibu and Hawaii.
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"The biggest technical challenge was how to capture Laird on a big wave and show it with the appropriate level of drama," Kennedy said. "So I ended up heavily leaning on the helicopter shot."
Hamilton was co-developer of tow-in surfing, which uses artificial assistance to help a surfer catch bigger and faster waves than could be possible by paddling with his or her hands. Another claim to fame was riding the so-called Millennium Wave at Teahupoo, Tahiti, on August 17, 2000, believed to be "the heaviest ever ridden" at the time, a still image of which graced the cover of Surfer magazine with the caption "oh my god."
For Kennedy, following him was an awe-inspiring experience.
"It was terrifying," she said. "I'm in (the helicopter), and I don't like small spaces and I don't like flying. You know, those are not my comfort zones. But you're out there, and then Laird captures these waves, and he's on them, and it's so magnificent. So I do have a good amount of terror in the experience of it, but a huge amount of appreciation too."
"Take Every Wave" is playing at select theaters.