Atletu

Atletu is a portrait of the legendary Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila, who won Olympic gold in Rome in 1960 as a complete outsider. From one moment to the next he became a sporting legend. Much less well known is that later in life he became paralysed in both legs after a car crash - his determination then took him to different sports and continents.
This film is striking in more than one respect. Firstly in its production: a low-budget independent film financed in several countries and shot from the North Pole to the equator. But also because of the chosen film form: biopic, personal biography, international travel log, drama and documentary all in one. The result is beautifully photographed and has a touching role for Rasselas Lakew, also co-director of the film, and outstanding archive footage.