Running Against the Wind is inspired by Salaam Bombay and Slumdog Millionaire: Jan Philipp

Panaji – Jan Philipp Weyl shared with the Indian audience that his film has been inspired by Mira Nair’s 1988 film Salaam Bombay. “My movie is certainly a drama, I’ve made the movie inspired by Indian movie Salaam Bombay. I wrote the script in 2008-09. That’s when Slumdog Millionaire came out, this inspired me even more. So, Indian movies have hence inspired me twice.” He was addressing a press conference at the 51st International Film Festival of India, being held in Goa post the World Premiere of the movie at IFFI . The film has been presented in the World Panorama Section of the festival.

Friends since childhood, separated by time, but an invisible force leads to the reunion of the the two old friends, decades afterwards. “Running Against the Wind is the story of two best friends trying to meet their aims and fulfil their desires. It is all about two fundamental things we all have – dreams and friendship.” German Director Jan Philipp Weyl was describing his movie, which happens to be Ethiopia’s first ever official entry to the Oscars.

Shot in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and set in Germany and Ethiopia, Running Against the Wind chronicles the story of two twelve-year-old boys Solomon and Abdi, growing up together in a remote village in Ethiopia, until a single photo changes their lives forever, directing them on two disparate tracks along the journey of life.

Solomon heads for Addis Ababa to become a photographer. Abdi, however, remains home and trains to fulfil his dream of matching the sport successes of renowned Ethiopian long distance runner Haile Gebrselassie. Ten years later, Abdi is nominated for the Ethiopian National Running Team and moves to Addis Ababa. He feels Solomon must be dead by now, but something within him tells him that he should look for his old friend. Solomon is indeed alive, though in a world completely different from that Abdi’s world of success. While Abdi’s derives his power from his running shoes, Solomon survives thanks to his wife Genet and the love of his three-year-old daughter Fikir.