“The Cigarette Surfboard,” February 8

Sunday, February 8, 3 p.m.

St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center, 2101 North Gaines Street, Davenport IA

Winner of Best Feature Documentary prizes at the Waco Independent Film Festival and Richmond International Film Festival, as well as the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Green Film Festival of San Francisco, 2024's The Cigarette Surfboard serves as the fourth presentation in the 2026 QC Environmental Film Series hosted by River Action, the 90-minute movie also hailed by KPBS.org as "a beautiful and inspiring portrait of activism."

In this work by filmmaker Ben Judkins and Ciggy Board creator Taylor Lane, after the latter realizes that a surfboard – which he crafted from thousands of littered cigarette butts picked up off California beaches – could captivate the eyes of millions across the globe, he decides to use it as the impetus to do something more. The Cigarette Surfboards consequently become a platform to spark ocean stewardship and the symbol of a campaign to hold Big Tobacco accountable for their toxic, plastic waste. Surfing is the medium, but the message is universal.

Small decisions and actions, such as littering a cigarette butt, cumulatively can have a large impact, for better or for worse. The immersive documentary The Cigarette Surfboard provides viewers an up close experience of the ocean through surfers’ eyes, to amplify a message of urgency and possibility regarding the ocean’s wellbeing. As our ocean faces mounting threats, and surfing continues to grow, we as surfers have a responsibility to protect it.

At TheCigaretteSurfboard.com, Ben Judkins states: "Raised in Northern California, at age eight I found an old camcorder and discovered my medium to explore and create. After years videotaping my friends skateboarding and surfing, I landed at University of California Santa Cruz, majoring in Film & Digital Media. My senior film Marshall earned the Dean’s Award, and also won 'Best Locally-Produced Work' at the 2017 Santa Cruz Film Festival. I’m an avid surfer who believes in the power of visual storytelling to move people to action. The Cigarette Surfboard documentary is an opportunity to inspire a generation of surfers to be stewards of the sea."

At the same site, Taylor Layne says: "Growing up with a garage full of tools, I always tinkered. In the 'live and let live' ethos of Venice Beach, California, I learned to appreciate alternative perspectives. After graduating from San José State University in 2017 with a B.S. in Industrial Design, I took on freelance gigs, along with an internship at The North Face as an Equipment Designer. With the Cigarette Surfboard, I realized I am most fulfilled by seeking solutions that address social and environmental problems. Since childhood, I’ve often been the one asked to fix something. Doesn’t always mean I can, but hell, I’ll try."

Hosted by St. Ambrose Green Life, The Cigarette Surfboard will be shown in Davenport at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center on February 8. The 3 p.m. screening is preceded by the 2 p.m. Enviro Connect featuring exhibits and networking opportunities, and followed by a virtual Reflection Speaker discussion with Ciggy Board creator Taylor Lane and filmmaker Ben Judkins. Admission is $10, students are admitted free with ID, and more information and tickets are available by contacting River Action at (563)322-2926 and visiting QCEnvironmentalFilmSeries.org.