Written by: Tiisetso Tlelima
Fast cars, hot girls, plenty of action and side-splitting comedy is what South African moviegoers can expect from the upcoming film The Race-ist, this December. The Race-ist tells the story of a young boy called Lukas (Craig Palm) who wants to become a quarter-mile champion. He grows up with “insufficient resources” to achieve his dreams, but when he meets former coach of the quarter-mile championship, Oom Noel (Ian Roberts), he realises that his dream of winning is possible. Love, comedy, racial differences, patriotism and inspiration are issues which unfold to thicken the plot.
“Lukas is the son of a black woman who had an affair with a white man back in the eighties. His father abandoned him because it was not socially acceptable to have inter-racial relations,” explains first-time director, Andrew Wilmot. “Lukas obviously grew up with many insecurities…He starts out seeing the world through a very pessimistic point of view but soon realises that although we face challenges and obstacles in life, once we create goals of where we want to be and a ‘sort of plan’ of how to get there, life doesn’t seem that bad anymore and dreams can come true.” The message of the movie is quite clear: you can achieve anything you desire regardless of what you look like or where you come from. Excuses are never warranted! So armed with two crazy mechanics, a dodgy charra, a sexy tomboy and a blind black buddy, Lukas sets his mind on winning and never gives up!
The film was inspired by Andrew’s love for zero-to-hero type stories. “South Africa is jam-packed with them!” he says. “The problem is we forget just how resilient we are as a nation and sit back to let tough times give us a few smacks! I am hoping that this movie will inspire one or two people to smack back!” Making his own movies has always been his dream since he was a young boy, and now it’s coming true. “I enjoy movies that make me feel good without feeling guilty…this is my objective with the Race-ist: you can laugh, learn about life and walk out feeling better about yourself and life in general,” says Andrew. The movie was also born out of research findings which showed that South Africans want to see high quality productions with action and humour, hot cars, beautiful girls and great location shots.
Jam-packed with celebrities and TV personalities with an obsession for cars and speed, viewers can expect to see a diverse cast that features actor Strini Pillay, up-and-coming actress Nicole Smart, DJ Mark Stent, Rhythm City’s Craig Palm, Brandon Auret, veteran actor Ian Roberts, Jonathan Pienaar who starred in Blood Diamond, former Big Brother turned security specialist “Bad” Brad Wood and Afrikaans pop icon Kurt Darren to name a few. And if you ever thought DJ Fresh couldn’t act to save his life, you’re in for a big surprise as he plays the villain in this remarkable story. The story has a cross-demographic cast who clearly highlight the value of perseverance, laughter and true friendship regardless of colour or gender.
“The Race-ist is a beautiful story, so home grown, with valuable lessons to be learned, and at the same token, the project is going to be flashy and very Western in terms of look and feel, so the combo is just perfect,” says actress Nicole Smart who plays the character Angel. Her character brings in a certain element of drama to the film as well. Angel is down to earth and gets on with everyone. She is a free spirit but takes relationships with those she believes in incredibly seriously. “She has proven to be a role model for young girls who aspire to break the boundaries of gender and the roles women play as Angel very much operates in a ‘man’s world’ and successfully at that.”
Lead actor, Craig Palm describes the film as an ‘astonishingly refreshing piece of work’. “There were a couple of shaky moments, but the overall experience was incredible,” he explains. For him it was such a relief to not be cast in a stereotype Coloured role. “It’s the first time I play a lead. It’s the first time that my character is not a stereotype gangster or a baddie. My character was a lovechild. A bit like the forbidden fruit. A real person. A real dreamer. That is special. He is a bit miserable in the beginning, but that’s all good, because he comes into his own in the end.”
So what makes this film stand out from other South African comedies? “Well, no one farts loudly in it,” says Andrew chuckling. “No, back to being serious for a moment, nothing like this has ever been done before. The combination of top South African actors, celebrities and beauties, oh and not to mention the cars, all taking part in one movie – who wouldn’t want to watch it? Plus the sound and music are all locally produced original tracks…every subwoofer will finally know what it’s like to beat to the rhythm of The Race-ist.” Well, with a diverse music combination of fidget pop, rock and a powerful symphonic score, the film cannot go wrong in the hearts of music lovers.
But one has to wonder, with all the action, screeching tyres and hot chicks, what’s in it for women? The Race-ist has all the chick-flick movie ingredients: a hunk, in this case it would be the gorgeuos DJ Mark Stent; a story line and a bit of romance.
The Race-ist was shot at the Rock raceway in Brakpan, Johannesburg. The film is now in its post-production stage and is expected to hit South African cinemas on the 9th of December, just in time for the festive season!
For more info about the film visit its website on www.therace-ist.co.za
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