DOCUMENTARY7 AUG 2026Spinning from zero to infinityJulia Jansch’s award-winning documentary ‘From Dust We Spin’ explores the unique South African motorsport of car…Kibo Ngowi8 min read

Julia Jansch’s documentaryFrom Dust We Spinis as much about the distinctly South African motorsport of car spinning as it is about a girl learning to take up space in her own life. is as much about the distinctly South African motorsport of car spinning as it is about a girl learning to take up space in her own life. The film just made its SA debut at the Durban International Film Festival where it picked up the award for Best South African Documentary, making it eligible for Oscar consideration.

It’s a visceral and intimate exploration of the word of spinning, specifically in the coloured community of the Cape Flats where it has a long history, stretching from the 1980s during apartheid. The film follows teenager Logan Maart, who despite her quiet de-meanour has developed a passion for spinning and her teacher, Mark Linden, who’s ready to confront any obstacle to pursue his love for spinning, even the law. Logan is far from the first face that would usually come to mind when people think of spinning but through the film we come to understand how it has been a lifeline for her through a particularly difficult period.

We learn that she attempted suicide and was unsuccessful only because her parents found her and intervened before it was too late. “It feels like I’m losing hope,” she says at one point in the documentary. “That’s how my zero feels.” She finds relief behind the steering wheel of a car: “When I touch the steering wheel, house problems, school worries … they just go away.”