Sprinter

STORM SAULTER
Jamaica, 2018
114 minutes, Color
Official website

In Person: Director Storm Saulter

Winner of a number of awards and executive-produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Sprinter takes viewers into the fields and countryside of Jamaica. Akeem Sharp (Dale Elliott) has grown up idolizing his older brother, Germaine (Kadeem Wilson), a star high school runner, and pining for his mother, who left the family for greater opportunities in America. Though she was to return after 2 years, a decade has passed and the young boy has grown into the "Rasta Rocket," lionized for his exploits on the running track. Despite the careful attention of his coach (David Alan Grier), Akeem begins to drift, drawn into his brother's dangerous underworld life. "No man can outrun the choices he makes," says Akeem's concerned girlfriend, Kerry (Shantol Jackson), and even Usain Bolt offers help. But is it enough to get Akeem to the championships in Los Angeles and reconnect him with his mother? —Dave Nuttycombe