Marathon Boy Airs on HBO

Marathon Boy, a 2009 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund recipient, airs on HBO November 3rd at 8pm. Directed by Gemma Atwal, the film follows Budhia Singh, the world's youngest marathon runner, who was born by a railroad track and sold to a street hawker by his biological mother, only to be rescued by Biranchi Das, who ran an orphanage for local children. Das discovers the boy's gift for long distance running, and what unfolds is a fascinating story of talent, greed and corruption.

From our 2009 interview with Atwal:

Set in the Indian context, this wasn't a simple story of child exploitation, it's a story grounded in hope, the hope of a guru and a disciple who could go all the way to fulfil a dream for India. What adds to this richness is that the dream is inherently flawed and problematic, and Biranchi Das is not our hero, he's the anti-hero, a deeply flawed lead character. This shift was important to me, because it added elements of hope versus broken dreams, tragedy versus triumph.

indieWIRE blog The Playlist has a great review of the film.

Check out thte trailer: