IFFI: Running Against the Wind is inspired by Salaam Bombay and Slumdog Millionaire, says German filmmaker Jan Philipp Weyl

German filmmaker Jan Philipp Weyl’s film Running Against the Wind was Ethiopia’s first-ever official entry to the Oscars. Set in Germany and Ethiopia, the film 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, taking them on two separate tracks along the journey of life.

Addressing a press conference at the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the filmmaker described the film as being about boys who are friends since childhood, separated by time, but an invisible force leads to the reunion of 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,” he said. 

Weyl spoke about his connection to Ethiopia and said, “I had kind of grown up with Ethiopia. I started collecting donations for Ethiopia when I was just 14, to build a school there.  After I raised 25,000 euros, I was invited to Austria by Austrian actor Karlheinz Böhm. That’s how I went to Ethiopia for the first time and based on my experiences there, I have written the script of Running Against the Wind.”

The film is shot in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and Weyl admitted being inspired by Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (1988). He said, “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.”

 “Salaam Bombay and Slumdog Millionaire were iconic for me. They strictly forbid me to move on and watch other Indian movies.  I have been packed and inspired in the most positive way. This meant that the one and only way for me to create something new and unique, without copying other ideas, was to stay away from other movies,” he added.

Speaking about the power of emotion in Hindi films, he said, “Emotions are timeless. I hope that considering from the Ethiopian side, my movie will also stay timeless. My aim was to make a movie which will have a national impact. I feel I have succeeded and that Ethiopia can relate to the movie.”

Given his connection with India, Weyl expressed the wish to remake his movie in India, saying, “I am in search of a producer who would love to collaborate with me. It will be completely an Indian version, with Indian actors. By that time, I would love to also find a distributor so that Running Against the Wind could be screened across India.”

Running Against the Wind has been released in many countries all over the world and also in Netflix Africa. Expressing his joy at being at IFFI this year, he said, “I grew up with cinema. I am honoured to be here and to be surrounded by a team of people who are making the impossible possible. This edition of IFFI is an example for other major festivals across the world.”