Gun Runners (2016)

Directed by

Anjali Nayar

Genre

documentary

Country

Canada

Runtime

1h 29m

Rated

14A

Rating

7.5 of 10 from 8 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows two former cattle thieves from Kenya who join a peace program and become marathon runners. Over ten years it shows their training, races, and how their lives take very different paths.

inspiringpoignantrawthoughtfulintimatebittersweetearnest

What happens

Gun Runners is a 2016 National Film Board of Canada documentary film directed by Anjali Nayar about two former Kenyan tribal warriors and cattle thieves in an amnesty program who traded in their guns to become marathon runners. The film's origins date back to 2006, when Nayar met Julius Arile and fellow former cattle rustler Robert Matanda at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Race, created to reduce tension among rival tribes in northern Kenya. Nayar initially did a short radio story on the two men, which was broadcast on CBC Radio, and then remained in contact. The film follows the men through over 10 years, through training and races, and documents how their lives diverge: Arile pursues a career in running as well as politics, acting as a Kenyan representative at the UN to speak out against the proliferation of illegal small arms, while Matanda becomes disenchanted. Matanda and his wife would die in a car accident in March 2016, leaving behind seven children, whom Arile, Nayar and others from his community have united to help care for. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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