Arcade Content’s Kyle Lewis directed Unlimited Fight, Nike’s latest brand film, which is a tribute to South Africa’s 2016 Olympic Gold medallist, Caster Semenya.
The piece salutes Semenya’s will to succeed even as her legitimacy as a female athlete has been continually contested on the grounds of society’s deep-seated fear of that which is different. Semenya’s courage and determination is celebrated through a montage of powerful portraits of teenage girls staring into camera while a voiceover delivers a message about society’s tendency to hold female athletes back instead of allowing them to flourish.
Creative collaboration lies at the heart of Arcade Content’s brand philosophy, as was demonstrated in Unlimited Fight. The idea for the film comes from a long journey between Nike South Africa, their agency Design Futura and Arcade’s co-founder and director Lebogang Rasethaba, who played a key role in developing the delicate tonal and conceptual foundation of the piece.
From there, Lewis entered the mix to bring his stylistic and emotional sensibilities to the film, resulting in something the company is deeply proud of – a tribute to Semenya that garnered over 500 000 views in the space of a weekend, with Semenya herself being proud enough to share it on her social media.
Semenya went on to win her race, taking a gold medal home to her country, while the film’s powerful message sparked a torrent of pride and enthusiasm across both South African and international social media platforms.
