
Independent Lens
Donor Unknown
A far-flung group of siblings are in search of each other and their father, known only as Donor 150.
Three young runners come from the Ethiopian rural town of Bekoji, home to current Olympic and World Champions.
Jerry Rothwell is a documentary filmmaker whose work includes the award-winning feature docs, Heavy Load, about a group of people with learning disabilities who form a punk band, Donor Unknown about a sperm donor and his many offspring and Deep Water, co-directed with Louise Osmond, about Donald Crowhurst’s ill-fated voyage in the 1968 round the world… Show more
Al Morrow is an award-winning producer and Head of Documentary at Met Film Production. She produced the feature documentary Deep Water (Pathe, UKFC, FilmFour), winner of the Grierson award for Best Cinema Documentary 2007; and Jerry Rothwell's Heavy Load (IFCtv, ITV, BBC), which won the Audience Award at the Britdoc Festival in 2008 and the inaugural CDN… Show more
Dan Demissieis a young Ethiopian producer who bought the Town of Runners to Met Film Production. He has experience working at a number of production companies as a script reader and editor. Born and bred in the UK, both of Dan's parents are from Ethiopia and almost all of his family still lives in Addis Ababa.
Jonny Persey is an independent film producer and managing director of Met Film Production. His feature film credits include Deep Water (Pathe, UKFC, FilmFour), Wondrous Oblivion (Momentum), and the documentary The Pied Piper of Hutzovina. Jonny studied at the National Film & Television School where he produced a series of acclaimed short films… Show more
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Long-distance running is a way of life in the Arsi region of Ethiopia. In a country well acquainted with poverty, famine and war, world-beating athletes are a source of intense pride. Many of the world’s greatest runners hail from Bekoji, a small remote town in the Southern Highlands. In the Beijing Olympics, runners from the town won all four golds in the long distance track events–more medals than most industrialized countries.
Town of Runners follows three children from Bekoji keen to follow in their heroes' footsteps, as they move from school track to national competition and from childhood to adulthood. Set against the background of the seasonal rhythms of this farming region, and the impact of increased urbanization and globalization on agriculture the film shows rural young Africans striving to make their own future.
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