"The Right to Race": On launches moving short film to mark World Refugee Day.
In the short film «The Right to Race» by On Running, “Hungry Man” director Richard Bullock tells the inspiring story of Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu, who went from being a refugee to an up-and-coming running star. With video: Werbewoche.ch attended the film’s premiere in Cannes and spoke exclusively with the filmmakers.
To mark World Refugee Day, Swiss running shoe specialist On has released "The Right to Race," a documentary that follows Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu's remarkable journey from stateless refugee to elite athlete. The story of courage, hope and friendship is meant to inspire us to rethink the meaning of belonging and representation.
What does it mean to have an identity - not only as an athlete, but also as a human being? That is the question that has driven the long-distance runner Lobalu from war-torn southern Sudan all the way to the snowy mountains of Switzerland. There, he is now fighting for the right to run races and represent his new homeland on the world stage.
Award-winning filmmaker Richard Bullock wrote the screenplay and directed the film in collaboration with Hungry Man Productions. Featuring recent footage and archival footage dating back to 2017, the short film depicts Lobalu's efforts to represent Switzerland at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and next year's Olympic Games in Paris. For although the elite athlete can take on the best in the world, he is currently excluded from official refugee teams. For Swiss citizenship, on the other hand, he must wait up to ten years.
The 30-minute film, which celebrated its world premiere on Tuesday's World Refugee Day, focuses on the extraordinary relationship between Dominic Lobalu and his Swiss coach Markus Hagmann - grown out of their shared love of running. Lobalu's struggle to be recognized as an international competitor for his new home country by "World Athletics" and the negotiations with the sport's governing body, which continue to this day, become increasingly important as the film progresses.
The film challenges us to rethink our notion of national identity and belonging. Negotiations with the sports governing body become increasingly important in the course of the film.
"The Right to Race" is Bullock's third collaboration with On, who has previously written and directed short films for the brand, including RUN: The Athlete Refugee Team Story and the award-winning animated film Black Ice.
Before focusing full-time on filmmaking, Bullock, whose feature-length films have aired on the National Geographic Channel, Eurosport and the BBC, built an award-winning reputation in the advertising industry. A former executive creative director at 180 Amsterdam, he has worked with agencies including Chiat/Day/Mojo, Hunt Lascaris TBWA, Cliff Freeman & Partners and Lowe Howard Spink.
"The Right to Race" will air in prime time on Tuesday in 53 countries on Eurosport 1. The film will also be shown at major sporting events such as the 2023 World Championships in Athletics and will also be available on Discovery+ streaming services across Europe. The film by On and Hungry Man Productions can be viewed now on the website Righttorace.com be viewed.
Werbewoche.ch was there for the premiere of the film in Cannes and spoke exclusively with the makers.
