Oumaima Erhali is a 17-year-old who loves to surf. In this short film, Making Waves, she tells the story of how before her brother died in in 2008, he brought her out into the ocean and introduced her to the sport. She’s been riding waves off the beaches of Morocco ever since. Despite the support she receives from her family, Erhali still feels pressured by cultural expectations—but she’s determined not to let those tensions hold her back from the sport she loves or the life she wants to lead.

This video comes to us from Grain Media and AJ+. For more work from AJ+, you can see their YouTube channel here.