Andy Warhol Film Shot 40 Years Ago to Be Released

A little known Andy Warhol film–San Diego Surf– will be released this month at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Iconic pop artist Andy Warhol shot the surf film 40 years ago in La Jolla.

The film, which has never been publicly shown, will surely attract surf, art and pop culture fans. The world premier screening will take place at MoMA's "To Save and Project: The 11th MoMA International Festival of Film" on Oct. 16 and again publicly Jan. 23 - 28, 2013.

In July, Michael Hermann, the director of licensing at the Andy Warhol Foundation told Patch, “While his shooting a surf film in La Jolla may sound like an odd fit, San Diego Surf is quite consistent with the arc of many of his other films, which feature the drama of beautiful misfits getting into trouble, having sex and doing drugs."

The Foundation offered the following synopsis:

It was filmed in color on 16mm with two cameras, manned by Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey, and featured Superstars Viva, Taylor Mead, Louis Waldon, Joe Dallesandro, Tom Hompertz, Ingrid Superstar, and Eric Emerson, plus Nawana Davis and others. Its loose narrative concerns an unhappily married couple (Taylor Mead and Viva) with a baby who rent their beach house to a group of surfers.

After it was shot, it was only partially edited and never released. And in 1995, the Andy Warhol Foundation commissioned Paul Morrissey, under the supervision of Foundation curator Dara Meyers-Kingsley, to complete the editing, based on existing notes and the rough cut.

Soon after filming San Diego Surf, Warhol was shot. He survived, but for unknown reasons, never finished the film, according to Hermann.

Also read: Local Surfboard Shaper Creates Andy Warhol's 'Quiver'

“I am thrilled to see a new Andy Warhol film being released to the public after more than 40 years.  Shot in the style of his late color films, it features two of Warhol’s Superstars - Viva at her most radiant and Taylor Mead at his most radical,” said Geralyn Huxley, The Andy Warhol Museum in the release announcement. “We are proud to extend our mission to promote and share the work of Warhol with our global audience with this vibrant work.”

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