This weekend, the definitive film about the new wave custom scene is released to the public.
Following its premiere at the San Sebastian film festival, The Greasy Hands Preachers is going global with Red Bull and you can now watch the 90-minute documentary online.
Shot on Super 16, Greasy Hands takes viewers all over the world, with stopovers in France, the USA, Scotland, Spain and Indonesia. The cast is a roll call of big name builders: from American-based heavyweights Roland Sands (above left) and Shinya Kimura (right) to controversial Europeans El Solitario and Blitz Motorcycles.
It’s the work of producer-director team Clément Beauvais and Arthur de Kersauson, which is a stamp of quality in itself. They’re best known for the brilliant Long Live The Kings—an elegant, elegiac mood piece that made our list of motorcycle films worth watching.
The Greasy Hands Preachers is a celebration of manual work, seen through the lens of motorcycle enthusiasts who have found their way to a happy life. “A biker crossing a beautiful landscape is an image that conveys the idea of freedom,” say Beauvais and de Kersauson. “However, the mechanic who builds and repairs this bike is perceived as proletarian with dirty hands.” It’s a perception that the duo have set out to overturn.
It’s also an idea that resonated with the high-ups at Belstaff, BMW Motorrad and Motul, who offered sponsorship to fund the film. A further $100,000 came from a successful Kickstarter campaign—a sure sign of appetite on the public side too.
To watch it in full, head over to the Red Bull TV site.
Enjoy.