Jason's Jive October 2026

Greetings. Something different this month. In June 2026, I got connected to the curator of  a film festival in Dallas, the night before the event. I promised the gentleman that I would show up the next evening for his event. (I do photography and then create news magazines of the events, so that there is marketing material available for future years). 

Anyway, in the process of taking photographs of people, I also networked, as I am involved in the Nollywood film industry (that is the name given to the Nigerian film industry, the third largest globally – behind Hollywood and Bollywood). 

I connected with a film producer, Geoff Browne, and here is an account, from him, about his new film, Godpower, that is winning  many awards on the International Film Festival Circuit. The film is set in Nigeria and is as real as it gets.

For those who are just getting to know you, please tell us what inspired the film Godpower? Hi! I'm Geoff Browne. It genuinely began with a T-shirt. I was in Lagos finishing another project when I noticed that my old The Endless Summer shirt had Nigeria printed on it. I had a day off, so I found a surf instructor named Godpower - GP - on Instagram and booked a lesson. He told me to meet him under a bridge, and before I knew it, we were on a boat heading to Tarkwa Bay.

During that first visit, GP told me he had learned to surf after seeing The Endless Summer as a child. There was something beautifully full-circle about that. But the real inspiration was GP himself - his warmth, determination and the responsibility he carries as a father and provider. He welcomed me into his family and community, and the more time we spent together, the more I saw the possibility of telling an intimate story about survival, fatherhood and the moral choices people face when money is tight.

GP and I developed the story together from his life, real events and the world around him. It is a narrative film, so like all storytellers, we took some creative licence. The goal was to make something authentic and entertaining at the same time. I went home, wrote the screenplay and returned several months later with one camera and no crew.

Although I wrote and directed the film, it came from GP's world and was made with the people of Tarkwa Bay. GP played the lead, and his son, Isaac Humphrey - an incredible surfer himself - also acted in the film. I showed up alone, but I certainly didn't make it alone.

What's happened with Godpower since the film was made? One of the most incredible parts of the journey is that Bruce Brown Films - the creators of the original The Endless Summer, the film that inspired GP to surf in the first place - came on board as executive producers. It really brought the story full circle.

We recently screened at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, and from September 18-24 we have an Academy-qualifying theatrical engagement at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles, which allows us to submit the film for Academy Awards consideration. From there, Godpower screens at the Del Mar Surf Film Festival, where we'll open for The Rebirth of The Endless Summer. We then screen at the Awaken Film Festival in Santa Monica on October 13, followed by Nollywood in Hollywood on October 15. And from November 1-7, the film comes home to Lagos for AFRIFF.

For a film that started with a surf lesson in Tarkwa Bay, it's been an incredible journey - and now we're taking that story into the feature film.

Is there any hope of this film being seen on a streaming platform? Yes, that is definitely the hope for the short. But we're already moving forward with the feature film. The screenplay is written, we're ready to make it, and we're launching a crowdfunding campaign toraise the financing.

We're returning to Tarkwa Bay to expand GP's story into a feature-length film inspired by his life, his family and the community. Once the feature is finished, the plan is to take it through the international film festival circuit, build an audience around it, and then find the right home for the film. We would love for both the short and eventually the feature to become widely available.

The response so far has shown us that the story travels. It is deeply specific to Tarkwa Bay, but the questions it asks about family, dignity and survival are universal.

Godpower Surf The story didn't end with the film. We created Godpower Surf, and the line is growing - T-shirts, hats, beanies, hoodies and more, all carrying Tarkwa Bay, Nigeria. We want to build an original surf brand from Tarkwa Bay and share this world with people who may not even know there's a surf culture in Lagos.

As the brand grows in the U.S., Europe and beyond, we hope someone sees "Tarkwa Bay, Nigeria" and asks, "Wait - there's surfing in Nigeria?" The more people wear it, the more we can share that story with the world - and maybe inspire people to come to Lagos and surf Tarkwa Bay for themselves.

Want to be part of the story? Visit GodpowerSurf.com and discover the collection. Wear Tarkwa Bay, Nigeria wherever you are - and when someone asks, "Surfing in Nigeria?" tell them: yes. Come to Lagos and see for yourself.

And if you're in Lagos, take it one step further - book a surf lesson with Godpower at GP Surf School @gpsurfing.