The Cigarette Surfboard Documentary Screening

Join us inside the Student Union Theater on March 13, 2026 from 11am - 2pm for a special screening of The Cigarette Surfboard, an award-winning documentary that blends art, activism and environmental storytelling. The 90-minute film follows SJSU alum Taylor Lane as he constructs a fully functional surfboard using 10,000 cigarette butts collected from California beaches. What begins as a bold design experiment evolves into a grassroots movement challenging Big Tobacco’s role in plastic pollution and advocating for ocean protection. Directed by filmmaker Ben Judkins, the documentary has screened at 56 festivals across 12 countries, earned 16 awards and contributed to real policy change, including the first county-level ban on single-use cigarette filters in the United States. The event will also include a live display of the striking “Ciggy Boards” and a Q&A discussion with the director focused on art, environmental advocacy and community action. Visually compelling and solution-driven, The Cigarette Surfboard offers an optimistic yet urgent look at the impact of everyday decisions and the power of creative activism. This event is ideal for students and community members interested in film, journalism, environmental studies, design, public policy or social change and will leave audiences informed, inspired and ready to think differently about how individual actions can create collective impact.

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Host or Publisher SJSU's School of Journalism and Mass Communications