Why everyone thinks this Castle Lager ad is archive footage

Castle Lager’s new campaign is one of the most ambitious recreations of South African soccer history we’ve seen. A tribute to the supporters who stood by Bafana Bafana through three decades of wins and losses, the commercial recreates how it felt to be in those stadiums and live through those moments with so much authenticity that many viewers have mistaken it for actual archive footage. For this craft-obsessed bunch – Giant Films, Paul Ward, Bananas and Retroviral – that’s about the highest compliment imaginable. 

From the first pitch through to the final grade, every decision was guided by a simple principle: if it was going to be right, it had to be real. Here’s how the team brought three decades of Bafana Bafana fandom back to life.

Castle Lager ‘The Fans That Stood The Test Of Time’

When the script was sent out to directors, Paul Ward saw something different. Anyone familiar with his recent work, including South Africa’s Cannes contender ‘The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix’, will recognise a filmmaker with a deep affection for South African stories. Whether he’s filming children in the Karoo or soccer supporters in Soccer City, Paul is drawn to stories about the people, communities and the moments that shape who we are, finding emotional truth that feel uniquely South African.

Paul’s treatment was filled with archival references, photographs, actual broadcasts from past games, fan culture and key historical match details. Instead of recreating soccer history, he wanted to recreate memory itself. “I didn’t want to make a story version of this,” says Paul. “I wanted it to feel like the truth.” 

From sourcing decades-old Castle cans and period-correct jerseys to painstakingly recreating defining moments from Bafana Bafana’s 3-decade journey, the production became an exercise in historical detective work. The team spent weeks tracking down footage from actual matches, studying the moments that united a nation and the many years that tested its faith. Every sign, jersey, makarapa and crowd detail was grounded in reality, resulting in an ad so convincing that many viewers, including some of us, mistook recreated scenes for actual archive footage. 

Behind the Scenes with Giant Films

Behind the Sound with Pressure Cooker Studios

Whilst creating the timeline of wins and losses for Bafana Bafana, even the colour of broadcast throughout the years became part of the authenticity debate. While the nostalgic warmth of TV grade from the 1990s and the polished optimism of 2026 came naturally, the 2010 World Cup presented a different challenge. “2010 isn’t actually that pretty,” laughs Paul. “It’s kind of early HD broadcast colour.” The temptation to make it look better was strong, but the team resisted. “This isn’t pretty,” Paul remembers saying during grading discussions. “But that’s the point. If we’re being true to the footage and the moment, then that’s exactly how it should look.”

Something really special happened on set. The cast had been chosen partly because they were genuine soccer fans, and after filming one of the crowd scenes, they were asked to take a break while technical adjustments were made. Instead, they kept singing. Nobody prompted them. Nobody called for it. The songs simply carried on rolling through the stadium. In that moment, it stopped feeling like a recreation and started feeling like a memory. “We knew then it wasn’t going to feel like we were trying to recreate something,” says Paul. “It was real.”

Behind this finished ad though is really a story about trust, collaboration, and what can happen when a marketer, agency and director commit to protecting an idea from first briefing to final frame.

“Tommy Lawrence (Brand Director Castle Lager) is such a fierce defender of creativity. I’d go to war with that guy,” says Justin. That support would prove crucial as the project evolved from an idea into one of the most ambitious recreations of South African soccer culture we’ve seen in a long time.

As our industry is increasingly defined by tighter timelines and faster turnarounds, both Justin and Paul point to something remarkable: Castle’s marketing team approved a seven-week post-production schedule and stuck to it. Yes, you read that correctly.  And as they were deep into editing, other World Cup campaigns began appearing, pressure inevitably mounted to speed things up. But the agency, production company and client remained aligned. The result is an ad that captures something difficult to manufacture: the emotional scars and enduring optimism of South African soccer fans.

For Paul, that trust became the foundation of everything that followed. “When the client trusts the agency, it gives the agency trust in me, and that allows me to be the best version of myself,” he says. “It filters all the way through the process.” That trust  creates space for better decisions, stronger collaboration and ultimately better work.