www.theathletefilm.com
“A visually ravishing, revelatory mixed-medium narrative of the great Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila. A global indie film that could have been made by David Lean – it’s that quietly epic in scope and ambition.” – Montreal Gazette

Running the streets of Rome in 1960, an unknown, barefoot Ethiopian man stunned the world by winning Olympic gold in the marathon. Overnight, Abebe Bikila became a sports legend. A hero in his own country and to the continent, Bikila was the first African to win a gold medal and, four years later in Tokyo, the first person in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon. This soldier and quiet son of a shepherd is considered by many the greatest long-distance runner in history. But his life story only began with Olympic medals. One evening while returning to his home in Addis Ababa after training in the Ethiopian countryside, fate would present this remarkable champion with his greatest challenge; to dig deep within, not just to run the next mile, but to find the will to live. The race of his life had a new beginning and would lead him to places he could never have imagined.

(93 minutes)
Best Narrative Film, Mendocino Film Festival; Best of Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival; Best of Festival, Minneapolis International Film Festival; Audience Award, Berkshires International Film Festival; Audience Award, Tarifa Spain Film Festival; Lions Award Rotterdam Film Festival.