The Ford v Holden rivalry that moved a mountain headed for the big screen
Like the Australia-England quest for the Ashes, the legendary heartbreaks and highs of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, and the nation-defining Ford vs Holden battle, enduring rivalries can be about so much more than sport.
The 1980s battle between Peter Brock and Queenslander Dick Johnson epitomised the Holden v Ford rivalry. (Image: Supplied)
Now Australia’s iconic Ford vs Holden rivalry, the story of local auto manufacturing in the character of a nation, and how it came to a peak on a mountain racetrack, will be released onto the big screen for a global audience by studio giant Universal Pictures Content Group.
Continuing Queensland’s high-octane season of screen productions, the cinematic look under the hood of the uniquely Australian rivalry is expected to hit movie theatres in April.
Brisbane local production company WildBear Entertainment is producing the documentary, that blends fresh interviews with archive footage, at their Woolloongabba studio.
It investigates the seeds of the Ford-Holden rivalry from the time the US-made Model T Ford was first imported to Australia and General Motors’ delivery of the Holden as the first truly Australian vehicle for the masses.
Ford, of course, hit back with the Falcon, laying the groundwork for lifelong individual and family allegiances to Ford or Holden that were as much a part of your DNA as a day on the hill for the first test of summer at the Gabba.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Brisbane once again was showing why it was a world-class environment to produce screen projects of all kinds.
“The rivalry between the Ford and Holden brands is one familiar to Australians across all walks of life, so it is exciting to see Queensland play a key role in documenting it for a global audience,” Palaszczuk said.
The documentary continues the surge of Queensland local, interstate and international screen productions into 2022.
In 2021, Screen Queensland supported 37 films, series and games, generating almost $300 million in production expenditure and 3,750 Queensland jobs.
Screen Queensland Acting Chief Creative Officer Belinda Burns said WildBear Entertainment was making quality content for the international market.
“This investment in Ford vs Holden follows recent support for WildBear Entertainment’s acclaimed documentary Hating Peter Tatchell and the popular factual series Aussie Mega Mechanics,” Burns said.
“At Screen Queensland, we are committed to supporting Queensland-based screen companies and producers to create compelling content for both local and international audiences, and we’re excited to invest in WildBear Entertainment’s latest feature.”
Narrated by actor Shane Jacobson, Ford vs Holden will be produced out of WildBear Entertainment’s Brisbane office under Principal and Producer Veronica Fury.
“WildBear is so excited to continue working with Screen Queensland and Universal Pictures Content Group to tell the story of the rivalry between these two powerhouse brands and the impact they have had on Australian culture,” Fury said.
