Something a little different for you today, the launch of a running film, Running Against The Wind. Set in Ethiopia, two young men are racing to make their dreams come true.
Eureka Entertainment release Running Against The Wind; an emotional love-letter to Ethiopia from director Jan Philipp Wehl; available on digital platforms from Friday 11 June 2021 (Prime Video & The BFI Player).
Two twelve-year-old boys grow up together in a remote rural village. That is until a single photograph forever changes their lives. Solomon (Mikiyas Wolde) heads for Addis Ababa to become a photographer. Abdi (Ashenafi Nigusu) remains at home to train as a long-distance runner in the hope of emulating national sporting hero, the legendary Haile Gebreselassie. Ten years later, Abdi is nominated for the Ethiopian National running team and himself moves to the sprawling capital. He feels that Solomon may be lost to him, but an inner voice tells him to keep the flicker of hope alive and to search out his boyhood companion. In fact, Solomon is still living, but trapped in a world rife with crime, poverty and suffering. Abdi’s source of power is his running shoes, Solomon survives thanks to his wife Genet (Samrawit Desalegn), the love of his three-year-old daughter, and his abiding passion for photography.
A labour of love for German-born filmmaker Jan Philipp Weyl, Running Against The Wind is a gritty, authentic and endearing portrait of friendship, ambition and the realities of social deprivation in contemporary society. Ethiopia’s official submission to the Academy Awards, the film, which boasts impressive production values and immersive cinematography pulls no punches in its portrayal of hardship and how easy it is to be consigned to the margins once neglected by government and civil society.
Following it’s Digital release, Running Against The Wind will be released later in the year on Blu-ray as a part of the Montage Pictures range from 9 August 2021. The first print run of 1000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition Collector’s Booklet.
Running Against The Wind Official UK Trailer https://youtu.be/vLMGH5a71C0
