In September of 2016, after raising thousands of dollars in fundraising and watching countless instructional videos on "how to make your first documentary," I travelled to Tokyo, Japan, along with three friends and fellow UVA students to create my first film. And the topic - Japanese distance running.
Ekiden, a form of Japanese long-distance relay running, draws millions of views yearly, hundreds of thousands of screaming fans, and captures the zeitgeist of a nation in flux.
"What is Ekiden? Where did it come from in the first place? How does it bring so many people together?" In "Running Japan," we dive into the wonderful world of Japanese long-distance running and the unique communities formed around it.
This film was part of a capstone project for UVA's Mobility and Community Forum by four students - Gabriel Aguto, Keelyn McCabe, Blaise Sevier, and me, Chandler Collins. Learn more about the team, the process, and the film at https://runningjapanfilm.com
