Free Event!

PTFF is proud to partner with the Port Townsend Public Library's 2026 Community Read by showing Soul Surfer. This 2011 film tells the true story of Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack. Like Ian Mackay, the young UC Santa Cruz biology major who was paralyzed from the waist down due to a bike accident and became the subject of this year's Community Read Book, Ian's Ride: A Long Distance Journey, Bethany adjusted to her changed body and went on to become a champion surfer. After years of despair, and against all odds, Ian became an inspiring leader, an innovator with Apple, and a world-record-breaking athlete. The similarities between Bethany's and Ian's stories are remarkable and viewing the film will add depth to our community's understanding of how disability can affect anyone at any time and how one navigates these drastic changes.

SOUL SURFER (2011) 1 hr 46 min Rated PG