AFAC Film Night: The Runner

The Runner
Dir. Saeed Taji Farouky, 2013
Color, 95'

The Runner is a film about endurance. The journey of Salah Ameidan, a champion long-distance runner, transformed him from an athlete to the symbol of a national liberation movement. A native of an occupied Western Sahara, Salah risked his life to run for a country that doesn’t exist. In 2003, he decided to take a stand. At the end of an 8km race in France, he waved a Sahrawi flag across the finish line as he came in first place, an illegal act in Morocco. Unable to return home safely, he sought asylum in France where he continues to train and compete internationally. Salah will never take any nationality, but that of a free Western Sahara.

Saeed Taji Farouky is an award-winning filmmaker and cinematographer specializing in humanist, conflict-based documentaries films for over twelve years. In 2011, he was awarded a Senior TED Fellowship for his documentary work, and was previously an artist-in-residence at the British Museum and Tate Britain. His most recent documentary Tell Spring Not to Come This Year tells the story of the war in Afghanistan from the perspective of the Afghan army at the moment of NATO’s withdrawal. It premiered at the Berlinale 2015 where it was awarded the Amnesty International Human Rights Film award and the Audience Choice Award.