This Documentary Chronicles the Thrilling Australian Victory in the 1983 America’s Cup Ending a 132-Year Streak of American Dominance
Untold: The Race of the Century. John Bertrand in Untold: The Race of the Century. Cr. Netflix © 2022
Propagate, a leading developer, producer, and distributor of more than five thousand hours of programming across broadcast, cable, digital and emerging platforms, announced today the September 6 release of its latest film, “The Race of the Century.” Premiering as part of the critically acclaimed Netflix docuseries “UNTOLD: Volume 2”, The Race of the Century tells the tale of the scrappy group of Australians who banded together to dethrone the New York Yacht Club and break the longest-running win streak in history — 132 years— in the most prestigious sailing competition in the world.
Directed by Emmy Award-winning brothers Chapman Way and Maclain Way and produced by Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Isabel San Vargas of Propagate, the film features never-before-seen footage and imagery and sits down with John Bertrand, Dennis Conner and other key members of the 1983 U.S. and Australian crews as they share their incredible experience of the ultimate race to victory. The film also highlights the astounding talents of engineer Benny Lexcen, and his radical design of the fastest yacht in history that revolutionized the sport of sailing.
“The 1983 America’s Cup is an incredible story of characters and patriotism,” said Chapman Way. “What really fascinated us was that the competition was less about physical athleticism, and more of a test of engineering and intelligence. The America’s Cup is really our country’s best minds versus your country’s best minds, and our country’s best resources versus your country’s best resources.”
“It was extraordinarily fun as Americans to make a story that, at the root of it, is a story of the birth of the modern Australian national identity,” added Maclain Way. “That sounds crazy, but a lot of the older Australians that we spoke to said there was no sense of Australian identity before the 1983 America’s Cup, but then a huge sense of Australian identity afterward. So anytime with these sports stories, you can tap into larger things like that it always excites us filmmakers.”
Netflix’s “UNTOLD: Volume 2” is a four-week docuseries event that once again brings fresh eyes to epic tales from the wide world of sports. From football to basketball and streetball to sailing, these stories aren’t the ones you’ve heard before, even if you think you have. Premiering weekly, each film kicks off at a pivotal moment and then delves deep into what happened beyond the headlines, as told by those who lived it, to reveal the grit, resilience, heartbreak, triumph, violence, comedy and pathos beneath the sweat.
“Opportunities to share a cinematic adventure like this are what inspire our team every day,” said Howard T. Owens. “It’s always a pleasure to work with talented directors like the Ways and with our friends at Netflix to bring these stories to life and we are confident that ‘UNTOLD: The Race of the Century’ will resonate with both sailors and non-sailors alike.”
For more information on Propagate visit www.propagatecontent.com.
