[imagesource:creativecommons]
The first episode of Cape Town local series Spinners debuted to a sold-out audience and a standing ovation at Silwerskerm on Friday, and has become the first African series to be selected for CANNESERIES in France.
Starring South Africans Cantona James and Chelsea Thomas, the series is a fascinating blend of local gang drama and high-octane spinning as it follows Ethan, a 17-year-old driver working for a local gang.
Raising his younger brother, Ethan becomes increasingly jaded with gang life, and when he finds the extreme motorsport of spinning, he decides to put his driving skills to better use. But as in real life, it’s not so easy to escape your past as a looming gang war threatens to derail his escape from his old life.
The show is packed with outstanding local actors, including Dillon Windvogel (Blood & Water), Elton Landrew (Recipes for Love & Murder), SAFTA winners Brendon Daniels (Zulu, Skemerdans, Five Fingers for Marseille) and Dann Jaques Mouton (Arendsvlei, Noem My Skollie).
The director is Jaco Bouwer, director of the 2022 SAFTA Best TV Drama winner 4 Mure.
If you’ve never seen spinning up close, Cantona explains what you’ve been missing. “Spinning is making art with your car,” he says. “Going in a donut, making an eight, people hanging outside a car while it’s spinning, standing on top of a car… It’s just thrilling.”
“Spinning has always been a big part of culture in Cape Town, in the Cape Flats.”
Chelsea, who plays Amber, the spinner who first inspires Ethan, says he only ever saw men spin. So he was surprised to learn that the ladies are actually dominating the sport now.
“Spinners shows a different side to it: it shows the passion, the drive, the adrenaline. So I’m excited for the rest of the world to see what our people are all about.”
The series looks to be another homegrown world-class production and we are excited to see how it does. South Africa is incredibly rich with stories that the world needs to experience. Check out the trailer below:
Too bad the wife’s Renault Duster is a front-wheel drive, there’s a lekker parking lot on top of Gardens Centre…
[source:sapeople]
