The Runner

The Runner is a film about endurance. It is the story of a champion long-distance runner whose journey transformed him from an athlete into the symbol of a national liberation movement. Salah Hmatou Ameidan is willing to risk his life, his career, his family and his nationality to run for a country that doesn't exist. He is from Western Sahara, officially Africa's last colony and under Moroccan occupation since 1975. 30 year old Salah grew up under Moroccan occupation in Western Sahara. He is a Sahrawi, a native of the area. By 14 he was recognised as a talented athlete and was forced to join Morocco's junior athletics team, under threats to his family. By 1999 he was the triple cross-country champion for Morocco, had won 2nd place in the Africa Championships and was two-time Arab World Champion. In 2003, during a race in France, he took a risk from which he and his family have never recovered. As he approached the end of an 8km race in first place, he pulled out a Sahrawi flag - ...