''The Athlete'' ( am, እትሌቱ, ''Atletu'') is a 2009 Ethiopian
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
Davey Frankel and
Rasselas Lakew. The film was selected as the Ethiopian entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
83rd Academy Awards,
but it did not make the final shortlist.
It was the first Ethiopian film to be submitted in the category for Best Foreign Language Film.
The film has been reviewed in an international journal.
[Aboneh Ashagrie. 2013. The Athlete: a movie about the Ethiopian barefooted Olympic champion. ''Journal of African Cultural Studies'' Vol. 25, No. 1, 119–121.]
A mixture of fiction and stock footage, ''The Athlete'' is a portrait of the marathon runner from Ethiopia,
Abebe Bikila
''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila ( am, ሻምበል አበበ ቢቂላ; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winnin ...
. In 1960, he participated in the
Rome Olympic Games as a complete unknown. However, the son of a shepherd ran barefoot and won the gold medal. Four years later, he repeated his feat at the Tokyo Olympic Games, becoming the first man to win the Olympic marathon twice in a row. A few years later, he suffered a car accident and lost the use of his legs. He died four years later.
Cast
*
Rasselas Lakew as
Abebe Bikila
''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila ( am, ሻምበል አበበ ቢቂላ; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winnin ...
*
Dag Malmberg
Dag Åke Sigvard Malmberg (born 18 January 1953) is a Swedish actor and director, best known internationally for his role as Hans Petterson in '' The Bridge''.
Biography
Dag Malmberg was born January 18 1953 in Gävle, Sweden.
Malmberg studie ...
as Onni
*
Ruta Gedmintas
Ruta Gedmintas ( lt, Rūta Gedmintas; ) is a British actress known for her work on television, primarily in ''The Strain'', '' Spooks: Code 9'', '' The Borgias'', ''The Tudors'', ''Lip Service'' and ''His Dark Materials''.
Early life
Gedmintas ...
as Charlotte
* Abba Waka Dessalegn as The Priest
See also
*
*
List of Ethiopian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
*
Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon
The men's marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, was held on Saturday September 10, 1960. There were 69 participants from 35 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. Abeb ...
References
External links
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2009 films
2009 drama films
2009 biographical drama films
Amharic-language films
Oromo-language films
English-language Ethiopian films
Running films
Films about the 1960 Summer Olympics
Films about the 1964 Summer Olympics
Films about Olympic track and field
Films shot in Bulgaria
Films shot in Norway
Films set in 1969
Films set in Ethiopia
Biographical films about sportspeople
Cultural depictions of Ethiopian people
Cultural depictions of track and field athletes
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