The Long Distance

28-year-old farmer Eunice and 26-year-old cowherd Felix live in Kenya in a tin hut without electricity or running water. They dream of escaping poverty by becoming marathon runners in Europe. German-born Volker Wagner works in East Africa recruiting new talent for the running circuit. Acting as their manager, he takes the two neo-athletes to Germany so they can take part in their first European competition. However, the pressure on them is enormous. To the two athletes have already racked up debts in order to get to Europe in the first place and their families have given them orders not to return empty handed. Things are not much better for Wagner: the ever-increasing competitiveness of the marathon world and a demanding wife keep him occupied. In THE LONG DISTANCE, filmmaker Daniel Andreas Sager uses direct cinema style to portray two athletes and their manager, and describes the collision of two cultures as lucidly as he highlights the questionable balance of power in the marathon business.