Long Distance NY Premiere

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Published on June 10, 2009, 12:51 pm
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Abiyot is one of several African long distance runners, trying to make a living and career in the US. Once he was a promising member of the Ethiopian national team, but two years ago he left his country to start a new life in the Bronx.

Weekend after weekend, he races with fellow African athletes in road races, competing over a few hundred dollars of prize money.

The film follows Abiyot as he prepares for an important race. Every morning at break of dawn he tirelessly trains in the empty streets of his Bronx neighbourhood. With every aspect of his daily routine centered on his training, his footsteps not only dictate the rhythm of his life, but also become the pervasive rhythm of the film. In phone calls with his family back home, Abiyot tries to convince them and himself, that the running will pay off in the long term… It will be shown on Saturday, June 13, at 2pm at Brooklyn Heights Cinema, located at 70 Henry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11207.

Direction and Camera: Moritz Siebert
Editing: Josh Levinsky
Music: Jon Opstad
Mix: Duncan Warrick

UK 2009, National Film and Television School   
27:48 min, 16:9, Dolby ProLogic

Festivals:

World Premiere at Silverdocs 2009, USA
Brooklyn International Film Festival 2009, USA
Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca 2009, Spain
Gdansk Documentary Film Festival 2009, Poland

Filmography:

– Rapstars (2002)
– Belgrade Backspin (2005)
– Anne and Gail (2008)
– My Name is Karl (2008)
– Long Distance (2009)

About the author:

Moritz Siebert studied medicine and social anthropology in Berlin and worked as a doctor until the end of 2006. He started filmmaking in 2002 and some of his early films were screened at international film festivals, including IDFA 2005. As well as being selected for IDFA, his film Belgrad Backspin was broadcast in 2009 on 3sat in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and won Best Documentary Award at the student film festival in Balchik, Bulgaria.

Moritz came to the National Film and Television School to learn more about the craft of filmmaking and concentrate fully on his passion for documentary – so making the career-change from DOCtor to DOCfilmmaker. After graduating, Moritz moved back to Berlin to realise his future films.

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