SAHARA MARATHON
Spanien 2003 – Director: Jon Garaño, Aitor Arregi – Original language: spanisch, hassania – Subtitles: English – Length: 55 min.
Can a sport change the world you live in? When the Spanish colonisation of Morocco ended 27 years ago, that country invaded the Western Sahara. The Saharawi people were forced to flee to refugee camps in the Algerian desert.
Today an estimated 180.000 refugees live in four different camps. International relief organisations supply them with the necessary minimum. For years, the peace process with Morocco has made no progress whatsoever. Al though there is a tentative cease-fire agreement, the political interest in a real solution wavers. The fate of the Saharawis remains indefinitely uncertain.
This is the reason for the Sahara marathons, which seek the world’s attention on the Saharawi people’s plight. The women of the camps first created the race in 2001. Running against heat and sandstorms, the participants in this marathon get to experience what everyday life in this inhospitable place must be like. Whilst Saharawi men had to fight in wars, it is the women who created a nation.
Sahara Marathon tells the history of a people in need of recognition.
Writer: Jon Garaño, Aitor Arregi. Camera: Javi Agirre. Sound: Alazne Ameztoi. Editing: Jon Garaño. Music: Pascal Gaigne. Production: Irusoin. Producer: Xabier Berzosa. International Sales: Accent Films International.
