Few genres of film play to our sense of wanderlust quite like surf movies. And while the search for hidden bays and ominous swells in faraway lands is an oft-repeated formula, it never fails to stir a desire to head for the coast. However, this year’s line-up at the London Surf Film Festival, starting on 9 October, features a selection of movies that take a more serious look at the role of surfing in society and issues that affect those involved in the sport.

Tearing you away from the stereotypes of ripped athletes and bleach-blonde surfers, films such as Into the Sea – which follows one surfer as she teaches women in Iran how to ride the waves – proves that the sport can be a powerful catalyst for cultural change around the world. Meanwhile, Stephanie in the Water looks at the challenges faced by a professional female surfer as she builds herself up after a vicious assault; and Out in the Line-Up is a groundbreaking film addressing the subject of homosexuality in the sport. Of course, there are still plenty films featuring oceanic adventures: Cradle of Storms and Tierra De Patagones are two standouts, taking you to some of the world’s most beautiful natural settings in the quest to find new waves.

Stephanie in the water

A traumatic experience becomes the focus of this fly-on-the-wall documentary about surfing’s “leading lady”, five-times world champion Stephanie Gilmore. The film follows the pro-surfer, who, at a time when she seemed invincible, became the victim of an attack from a stranger outside her home, that left her emotionally and physically injured. Charting her rapid rise to surfing legend, the challenges of dealing with fame and celebrity and the difficult recovery following the attack, the film offers a compelling glimpse into the world of a pro-surfer.

Out in the Line-Up

Tackling an issue that is still a taboo within surfing, Out in the Line-Up follows two gay surfers as they travel around the world to find out why homosexuality remains so hidden in surfing. Featuring former champion surfer David Wakefield and Thomas Castets – who founded the world’s first online community for gay surfers – they travel to Australia, Hawaii, California, Mexico and the Galápagos Islands to hear stories of other gay surfers. And there’s plenty of footage of beautiful surfing along the way, too.

Tierra De Patagones

The crisp, spectacular landscape of Patagonia provides the backdrop for this surfing adventure film in which Joaquin and Julian Azulay search for isolated waves in the southern limits of the region. The pair attempt to find a deserted island they hear of – embarking on a dangerous sea voyage in their quest. But this award-winning film is as much about the stunning landscape photography as it is about surfing, making for a beautiful portrait of the wild South American region.

Cradle of Storms

While Tierra De Patagones heads south, Cradle of Storms visits the opposite tip of the continent, on an adventure to the Aleutian Arc of Alaska; the “birthplace” of the storm systems that pump swells across the Pacific. Munching on seal meat and travelling by propeller-powered planes and quad bikes, a group of surfers find the never-before-surfed point breaks and isolated waves they’ve been dreaming of. Again, it’s difficult to say what’s more eye-catching, the surfing, or the super-sharp arctic scenery that surrounds them.

Into the sea

Donning a hijab, Irish champion surfer Easkey Britton returns to a remote (and dangerous) region of Iran to support a project that hopes to introduce the sport to women and local communities. Britton, a surfer known for her pursuit of big waves, first visited Iran several years ago, becoming the first woman to surf there. This film – receiving its world premiere at the festival this week – shows how surfing can be a force for positive social change around the world, without having to sacrifice a sense of adventure in the process.

The London Surf Film Festival takes place from 9-12 October at The Genesis cinema, east London. For programme information and tickets visit londonsurffilmfestival.com