An 80-Year-Old RX-7 Owner Helped Mazda Win Its First Cannes Lion

Man and Machine

Mazda's one of the few brands left that stress that they make cars that are still fun to drive apart from everything else. Jinba-ittai is the brand's core belief, which translates to "rider and horse as one." While the MX-5 is the remaining true sports car made by Mazda, back in the day, the Mazda RX-7 was the halo performance model.

To this very day, the RX-7 is a legend not just from Mazda but across Japanese car culture as well. So much so that there are still dedicated owners who have kept their cars over the years; Mazda even made a film about it.

Mazda Wins Cannes Award

Announced by the brand, Mazda entered its film, Goodbye RX-7: Saying farewell to a dear friend, at this year's Cannes Film Festival. In a historic win, the film won the Bronze Lion in the Entertainment Lions category, marking Mazda's first-ever win at the esteemed film festival.

The Cannes Lions was established back in 1954 and has held an annual gathering every June in the coastal town of Cannes, France. This particular festival focuses on advertising and communications. It is also widely regarded as one of the most prestigious creative awards festivals in the world.

Goodbye RX-7

Mazda's award-winning film is a documentary that focuses on the shared journey of one woman (Noako Nishimoto) and her RX-7 that spans over 25 years of ownership. Mazda says that the documentary captures the "irreplaceable bond forged between a human and a car." Specifically, the film captures the final three days the owner spent with her beloved car, as she decided to relinquish her driving license when she turned 80.

According to Naoko, she first fell in love with the RX-7 while watching Initial D with her son, and despite being 55 at the time, she went ahead and bought one for herself. Over the years, she properly maintained it and kept it completely stock. When she finally decided to let go of it, Mazda offered to take the car and preserve it, which is now a heritage display model.

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