Sam Coleman has No Regrets for Golf

The Power of Vrrr Pha, directed by South Africa’s Sam Coleman from Patriot Films, announces the much-anticipated launch of Volkswagen’s next-generation Golf GTI.

The launch of such an iconic car, needed an equally iconic soundtrack, and it doesn’t disappoint. South African vocalist Nonku Phiri, also known by her pseudonym of Beulah Masibugo, performs a rousing isiXhosa version (one of South Africa’s 11 official languages) of Edith Piaf’s French song No Regrets. Soundtracked by this localised rendition of musical history the 90’ commercial effortlessly blends the speed and power of the GTI with a humorous take on the effects the car has on the world it travels through.

The playful ad begins with a GTI driver getting behind the wheel and hearing that familiar ‘vrrr pha’ sound roar like a shot of adrenaline. He pulls away, governed by Volkswagen’s GTI physics the world around him slows right down. Tracked by Phiri’s moving isiXhosa rendition of No Regrets, life in the GTI lane operates at ‘normal speed’ while his surroundings can’t seem to keep up.

Volkswagen – The Power of Vrrr Pha

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Agency Ogilvy/Cape Town
Production Company Patriot Films
Director Sam Coleman

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Credits

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Agency Ogilvy/Cape Town
Production Company Patriot Films
Director Sam Coleman
SFX Gravitron
VFX Black Ginger
Editor Matthew Swanepoel
Colorist Kyle Stroebel
Creative Director Alex Goldberg

Associate Creative Director Riaan Van Wyk
Art Director Annie Bekker
Copywriter Zanele Kabane
Head of Broadcast Cathy Day
DP Werner Maritz
Final Mix Rob Brinkworth
Music Nicolaas van Reenen
Music Simon Kohler

Art Director Sibulele Zihle
Senior Copywriter Sandhya Mathura

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Coleman says on enlisting France's national chanteuse, the late Edith Piaf, for the soundtrack: "Such an anticipated launch needed an epic soundtrack. Something big and familiar which would match the languid pace of the slowed-down world. Recording it in isiXhosa was a late idea. I got excited about the opportunity of taking something from the museum of French culture and turning it on its head. Nonku Phiri was the first artist to come to mind for me. She has that timeless, raw, soulful voice…like Edith. It was a perfect fit."

Conceptualised by the team at Ogilvy Cape Town, Creative Director Alex Goldberg weighed in: "When you’re shooting scripts like this, the details are everything. And Sam is all about the details. Great eye, knows performance, brilliant with casting and highly collaborative. He never fails to bring his own unique style to elevate a project into something that stays with you long after you’ve watched it."

Says Anton Visser, co-owner of Patriot: "It’s been amazing having Sam with us and seeing him bring work like this to life. He has such a distinctive style so I always look forward to seeing how he’ll interpret a script and where he’ll take it. This GTI piece is the kind of work we love to do and it was right up Sam’s alley. I’m incredibly proud to be able to put a piece like this out there."