Before it fades, before it's lost — we save it.

For over a decade, we have raced against time to preserve the film, tape, and photographs that document surfing and action sports history. Each reel we rescue ensures that a piece of this legacy is not lost.

A friend's archive, and a wider calling

In 2014, we lost legendary filmmaker Sonny Miller — suddenly, and far too soon. For his close friend Derek Hoffmann, protecting Sonny's irreplaceable archive became a personal mission.

That mission has since grown into something bigger: a commitment to safeguarding the entire history of surfing and action sports before it's lost for good.

Inside the Nalu Vault

At our Mission Viejo office, our archivist, Richard Cheski, works diligently to scan film reels, digitize aging videotapes, and preserve delicate photographs. Once processed, everything is safeguarded in the Nalu Vault — climate-controlled storage backed by secure digital copies, designed to protect these cultural treasures for the long term.

Right now, Richard and the rest of our team donate their time — Nalu Film Foundation has no paid staff yet. This work has always been more than a paycheck for us; it's a mission. As we grow, we're committed to paying every new archivist, media manager, and editor we bring on a fair, competitive wage for this specialized work — because passion for surf history shouldn't mean asking someone new to take a pay cut to do it.

Preservation Efforts

We work with:
Film (16mm, 35mm, Super 8)
Videotape (U-matic, Betacam, DV, Hi8, VHS)
Photographs (Kodachrome slides, prints, and negatives)
Magazines and Movie Posters

The Need for Support

As our collection grows, rising costs for storage and preservation make our work urgent. Delays mean more film is lost.

How Your Gift Helps

$25 — Digitizes a videotape
$50 — Scans fifty 35mm slides
$75 — Purchases one LTO backup tape, protecting digitized footage from data loss
$100 — Scans a reel of 16mm film
$500 — Fully restores a decaying film reel
$1,000 — Provides one month of climate-controlled storage
$1,500 — Provides one month of office space
$2,500 — Covers one month of general operating expenses
$5,000 — Funds a new archive workstation for scanning and restoration
$10,000 — Funds a year of secure hard drive storage for newly digitized footage

All of this work happens in-house at our Mission Viejo facility, with no outside vendors — so more of your gift goes directly into preservation.

Help Preserve History

Your gift supports rescuing and preserving vital pieces of surfing and action sports history. The Nalu Film Foundation is a nonprofit; contributions may be tax-deductible. Every donation counts — please consider supporting us to keep this history alive for future generations.