The Athlete ( Atletu )

The Athlete (DVD) (*)

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Original Title: Atletu
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Stockholm Film Festival
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
English ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
92 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2009 and produced in:
Ethiopia ( Africa, Middle East )
Germany ( Germany, Central Europe )
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Davey Frankel
Rasselas Lakew

Written By:
Rasselas Lakew
Davey Frankel

Actors:
Rasselas Lakew ..... Abebe Bikila
Dag Malmberg ..... Onni
Ruta Gedmintas ..... Charlotte
Abba Waka Dessalegn ..... The Priest

Synopsis:

Biographical feature drama about Ethiopian sportsman Abebe Bikila. Rasselas Lakew, who also co-directs and co-writes the film, plays Bikila, who becomes a world sensation when he runs barefoot to win Olympic gold in the Rome marathon in 1960, and, four years later in Tokyo, becomes the first person ever to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon. Soon after this, however, a car accident leaves him paralysed from the waist down and unable to walk. Faced with the greatest challenge of his life, he manages to overcome his physical limitations and takes up archery for the Paralympics, before going on to participate in the gruelling Ridderrennet cross-country ski race in Norway.

Running the streets of Rome in 1960, an unknown, barefooted 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 would become the first person in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon. This soldier and quiet son of a shepherd would be acknowledged by many as the greatest long distance runner the world had ever known. One evening while returning to his home in Addis Ababa from training in the Ethiopian countryside, Bikila was involved in a tragic car accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Unable to walk and faced with the greatest challenge of his life, he struggled to maintain his will to live and in the process discovered a deeper meaning of competition, taking up archery for the Paralympics and competing as a handicapped dog sledder in Norway. Though his running career had come to a tragic end, the race of his life had a new beginning. For the first time, the true story of Bikila's epic quest for life and sport comes to the big screen. Not since Raging Bull has the life of an athlete been rendered with such emotional power and cinematic grace.

Biographical drama about Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila from his youth during World War 2, through his Olympic gold medal in 1960 and a car accident which left him paralysed to his remarkable second career as a cross-country sledger.

This product was added to our catalog on Monday 06 August, 2012.

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