When wire cars first became popular in the 1950s, no one knew they would win awards one day.
- The Phillipstown WireCar Grand Prix flew Mzansi’s flag high after the film won Best Documentary Storytelling at the Webby Awards in the US.
- Based in the Northern Cape, the grand prix brings hope to youth whose circumstances prohibit them from dreaming big.
- While the award brings glamour and prestige, the creative team is hopeful that it will make a real difference in the lives of Phillipstown youth.
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The Northern Cape, arguably one of the country’s most neglected provinces, takes the global stage on Monday, 11 May.
The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix, a film that resurrects an almost-forgotten segment of township cultural history dating back to the 1950s, recently scooped the Best Documentary Storytelling award at the 30th Annual Webby Awards. The official awards ceremony is set to take place on Monday at the Cipriani Wall in New York City.
Breaking down barriers
Produced by Giant Films, the doccie tells the stories of youth who find refuge from their small town’s lack of recreational activities in wire cars.
For about 16 years now, they have been racing in the dusty streets of Phillipstown, until the Phillipstown WireCar Foundation stepped in and introduced a “grand prix”, where they win life-changing prizes such as driving lessons.
READ: WATCH | Escape comes in different forms at the Northern Cape WireCar Grand Prix
The foundation’s chairperson, Kay Fourie, said while the province as a whole was neglected, this town was even more isolated.
The teens are learning to make wire cars to sell.
The Webby Award, therefore, helps to break down the barrier to the greater world for the youth, some of whom have never even visited neighbouring towns.
The situation is so dire that one of last year’s winners said that winning driving lessons would help him secure a job as a taxi driver, indicating that these teenagers grow up in circumstances that don’t allow them to dream big.
“There is prestige and glamour, which is absolutely amazing, but we hope that the award can make a difference on the ground, in ways that translate to real terms.”
While working with the film team, the kids actually learnt for the first time that there is such a thing as a career as a cameraman.
Kay Fourie
Telling these young people that the movie they were featured in won an award and people around the world can see it now is one thing, but for them, the immediate need is simple things like school shoes.
Making a difference to ‘forgotten’ youth
A trust has been opened for the monetary winnings that come with the award, and the challenge for Fourie is whether to pay the much-needed school fees or let the money accumulate interest to be used towards higher education.
Phillipstown youth show off their wire cars.
The youth have also been invited to Oudtshoorn and Tsitsikama for wire car workshops, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the teenagers who would otherwise have no opportunity to travel.
This will be their first time staying in overnight accommodation, eating different foods, seeing ostriches and the amazing nature that they have at Tsitsikama.
Kay Fourie
“We are training the young boys to make sellable cars, and the people training them are young men from the township who are permanently employed by us,” said Fourie.
She added that the youngsters have not yet been informed about the documentary’s Webby victory; however, a celebratory event will be held after the main ceremony.
There is more to Phillipstown than wire cars
The doccie’s executive creative directors, Cameron Watson and Devin Kennedy, are hopeful that the kind of exposure brought by the award will attract the right kind of support the foundation needs to change things on the ground.
Renovations are ongoing at the WireCar Foundation in Phillipstown.
So far, Watson said, the foundation had been renovated, trees have been planted and an e-learning centre set up to upskill more Phillipstown youth, as the teens taking part in the grand prix were a small portion.
“The film is usually seen by a handful of people who come to the town. The more people that know about it, the more chance they can get involved,” Kennedy added.
READ: From rebellion to recognition: Car spinning’s journey hits rural roadblocks
The producers described the Webby Awards as the Oscars of the internet, saying the likes of Taylor Swift and other A-listers entered them.
The documentary also won a bronze accolade at this year’s Clio Awards in Entertainment – Culture & Influence. It can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Mbali Mbatha
www.news24.com
