Teen surf sensation Ellie-Jean Coffey is set to star in what has been dubbed Australia’s hottest up and coming surfers’ flick.
Ellie-Jean hit the waves in Pottsville in Queensland on Monday to play part of the short film ‘Lunchbreak’.
It’s not the first time the 16-year-old from Crescent Head has been in front of the camera. She starred as the stunt double for Bethany Hamilton in the US blockbuster Soul Surfer.
The movie Soul Surfier was based on the true story of teen surfer Bethany, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again.
Ellie-Jean spent two weeks in Tahiti filming Soul Surfer, with Bethany’s family on site.
They are now lifelong friends, she said.
Lunchbreak, Ellie-Jean’s latest starring role, features a selection of Australia’s hottest up-and-coming surfers, and was shot on Sunday and Monday near Pottsville, just south of the Gold Coast.
Lunchbreak combines Australian cinematography with high performance surfing action to tell a story which draws inspiration from the near tribal battles among surfers in places like Hawaii’s North Shore.
Turning the surfing hierarchy on its head, Lunchbreak stars a local ‘surf tribe’ that dominates the waves and major breaks.
The surf tribe also includes ASP World Tour rookie Laura Enever (currently ranked number 11 on the World Tour), Nikki Van Dijk, Felicity Palmateer, Codie Klein, 11-year-old sensation Alyssa Lock and former world number 2 Serena Brooke.
Having surfed since she was 10 and a beach lover from birth, Ellie-Jean said she can’t get enough of the waves.
Since she was 12 she has been competing and is currently pushing her way up the ladder in the junior series.
The filmmakers of Lunchbreak are 27-year-old friends Fran Derham and Clare Plueckhahn, best known for their award winning and internationally acclaimed surfing documentary, First Love (2010).
Fran and Clare are using Lunchbreak to launch their own film production company, CosWeCan.
