Ernest Nkosi captures history in first ever documentary about spinning, ‘An Ordinary People’

‘Spinning is where hustlers and dreamers of modest means become heroes’, that’s how the sport of spinning is described by Ernest Nkosi, the director of the new documentary film ‘An Ordinary People’. But there are also very fast-moving cars. There are men and women jumping out of very fast-moving cars, hanging on to very fast-moving cars or standing on top of very moving-fast cars. Physics out of the window y’all! Watch the trailer for yourself.

Be one of the first to watch the full feature film, available for download on 4 December 2021 through this link forms.gle/JBhY2XyYtGnKa6Xs7

‘An Ordinary People’ is a behind-the-scenes all-access look at the inner belly of spinning, South Africa’s most popular motorsport. The drivers, the stuntmen, the managers and the fans who live and breathe its fumes.
The release date has been set (4 December 2021) and we can guarantee that if you thought spinning was just a bunch of backyard gangsters doing donuts after dark, you are about to be hugely mistaken!

On the origin of the sport of spinning Ernest says: ‘Spinning had a similar beginning to NASCAR. Back in the day during the prohibition they would soup up the cars to get away from the cop cars and on weekends they would race. Similarly, spinning started with people stealing the cars in town and celebrating the bounty by doing donuts. But there are almost no similarities to spinning back then and now. Now spinning takes place in big arenas under controlled conditions, attracting audiences of over 15 million people annually.

5 Years and over 20 Terabytes of footage

Ernest Nkosi, spent every free moment he had creating and directing ‘An Ordinary People’ all while being a full-time commercials director with Bomb Commercials. With only a team of five, Ernest spent the past 5 years on the road (in between his commercials directing) capturing the world of spinning. From one event to the next, Ernest has collected over 20 Terabytes of interviews and stunts from all over South Africa and beyond ‘I’ve been to Kuruman and back’ he jokes, but it’s true.

Moving culture forward

‘Any moment you have the opportunity to move culture forward you take it. Like the birth of kwaito, spinning is equally as important to our heritage. It’s important for our history. With so much influence coming from overseas, to be able to pinpoint and document that this is South Africa’s first and original motorsport that literally grew from the township, that has been the highest honour.’ – Ernest Nkosi

In ‘An Ordinary People’ Ernest has captured a remarkable piece of South African heritage that can now become a part of our history and be remembered for generations to come. He has created and documented a piece of our country’s culture that we as South Africans and the rest of the world might never have known about and he has done it with heart and authenticity. Ernests’ film not only revealed this remarkable sport to us personally but more importantly, he crafted beautiful stories around it that gave us access to the hearts and minds of the athletes and characters that live for spinning. As to how he stayed motivated for five years to tell this story, well that’s Ernest. Whether documentary, long-form or commercials, Ernest has built a reputation for working honestly and tirelessly in aid of telling our country’s stories and doing the people and culture justice in the telling.

Poster ‘An Ordinary People’. The full feature film will be available for download on 4 December 2021 through this link forms.gle/JBhY2XyYtGnKa6Xs7

‘An Ordinary People’ will be screened on the 4th of December at the ‘K(kasi)ulture Fest’ and the stars of the film will be there! ‘K(kasi)ulture Fest’ is a first-of-its-kind event co-founded by Ernest with partners Enos Manthata, Thato DH Dhladla (they also produced the film), Alvin Knight, and Benny Mfisa The festival will showcase authentic South African Kasi inspired cultures and aesthetics in music, food, film, fashion & motorsport. ‘The curation of the culture and what it means to the people is what matters.’ Says Ernest.

‘An Ordinary People’ will also be available for download here from the 4th of December worldwide.

Where Spinning started for Ernest

I was lucky that this film chose me, particularly because growing up in a South African township spinning is a part of your DNA.’ Says Ernest. But his filmmaking career with the sport began more recently. He had just completed directing the hit show ‘So You Think You Can Spin’, a reality competition where contestants compete to win the title of the country’s best spinner. The show was a huge success and averaged 1 million viewers per episode. Shortly after, he and a few friends decided to put together an official league, The National Spinning Premier League (NSPL). Spinning is currently the biggest motorsport in South Africa and the only motorsport in the country with an independent thriving economy.

From thinking spinning was solely for gangsters or the characters in Grease to now finding ourselves screaming with excitement when our favourite spinner hits the ground #TeamKayla We have a lot to owe Ernest. Seriously, if we were 15 again, we would have Kayla’s poster up in our room instead of Pacey from Dawson’s Creek. Ernest has opened the culture up to us and that is a powerful thing that we can’t wait for you to experience too.

One of the Spinning heroes, Kayla Oliphant

Wanna (s)talk some more? Watch the film here from the 4th of December or go to the live screening at ‘K(kasi)ulture Fest’,

Contact Ernest Nkosi

Director: Ernest Nkosi
ernestnkosi@gmail.com

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Produced by the IDIDTHAT Content Studio – Credits: Anne Hirsch (Writer) / Julie Maunder

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