Watch Red Bull’s ‘Now Days’: A 2026 Film Of The Year Nominee

NFL Quarterback Joe Burrow and TikTok sensation Charli D’Amelio sat in the front row of the Now Days surf film premiere. Together, their net worth is north of $100 million. 

Behind them was cult surf-filmmaker Jack Coleman, who’s spent the past 20 winters in a 350-square-foot shack on the North Shore.

No one looked away from the theater screen, except for Erin Brooks, whose proximity to the Bengals’ quarterback proved more magnetic than the 60-foot screen.

After the premiere, Charli expressed a sincere interest in learning to surf, and Caity Simmers coughed up her 760 digits. Meanwhile, Ben Waldron, the editor of The Surfers Journal, mused about the film’s photography between bites of In-N-Out. 

Also in attendance was Rochelle Ballard, whose past experience blending Hollywood and surf birthed Blue Crush. Now, 24 years later, Anne Marie Chadwick could be any of the women starring in this film.

So, how’d our friends at Red Bull pull off a movie of this scale? Far-flung trips. Concept shoots. Astronomical budgets. One very determined producer named Jodie Nelson. And, of course, the stars, Erin Brooks, Caity Simmers, Molly Picklum, Caroline Marks, and Sky Brown.

Now Days has something for everyone. Today’s premier surfers, in premier waves, and tracks with cultural resonance like “Billie Toppy” by Men I Trust.

To entertain the less surf-enthused, there are skits, dances, nail polish, and all sorts of things that girlhood loves and Italo gets trolled for. The scenes are odd facets of each girl’s personality. For Ms. Simmers, it’s an extension of her infamous one-liner: “surfing is a dance.”

“Sierra has been golfing since she was six and could have gone pro,” explains Now Days producer Jodie Nelson. “Caroline was a barrel racer [horses] before barrel riding [surf]. Erin was a gymnast prior to finding surfing. With Molly, we wanted to showcase all the various facets that make her who she is: athlete, world champion, exciting competitor pulling rabbits out hats in heats, a boss, never taking it all too seriously and so on.”

After the film premiere in Los Angeles, Nora Vasconcellos took center stage for a Q&A with the film stars, her prompts far more entertaining than What boards did you bring to Mexico?

“It’s been fun making this film with my greatest rivals,” Caroline responded to a question about the girls’ fieriness in heats vs. filmmaking.  

“Yeah, you’ve been spending a lot of time with your heated rival,” Nora smirked.

Nothing was off the table — engagement speculations, subtle digs at Josh Kerr’s twin fins, and a few inside jokes the WSL will no doubt spend this year connecting the dots on.

In an earnest moment, Molly said, “Caity’s part is the best. I’m more of a professional athlete gone surfer. Caity has a connection to the ocean. I’m still working on that. It’s an honor to watch her surf.”

An emboldened Sierra Kerr closed us out with a goal that sounded like a vow:  “Hopefully we can do stuff that’s never been done by guys.”

Coordinating the schedules of six surf stars with different motivations, getting them on the best waves, and wrangling support from an A-list crew, including Kai Neville, is an extraordinary feat.

Watch the 45-minute film above — a nominee for film of the year, and a celebration of women’s surfing right Now.