Documentary on senior marathoners to premiere in Athens in aid of MDA Hellas

Following a successful screening at the 18th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in March, Eliana Abravanel's “Finish Line” will be the subject of a special avant premiere in Athens, at the Danaos cinema on May 11, starting at 8 p.m., with proceeds going in aid of MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) Hellas.

The film looks at three unlikely veteran athletes who still run the historic Athens Marathon. There's Idomeneas, a Cretan who runs barefoot in ancient Greek-style armor, Antonis, a shepherd who discovered he had a talent for running when chasing after a wolf which had made off with one of his sheep, and Stelios, Greece's oldest marathoner.

“Finish Line” is the second full-length documentary by Abravanel – herself a marathon runner – after “Roughcut” about Bambie, a Filipino transgender woman working in Greece.

The money collected from the avant premiere of “Finish Line” is slated to go toward the Greek branch of the Muscular Dystrophy Association to help it build a team to compete in the 34th Marathon with specially adapted wheelchairs. The event will also feature a live performance by Lagi (The Hares), a motivational percussion band that performs on roadsides during long- and middle-distance races, which also recorded the documentary's soundtrack.

Tickets are available online at buy.tickethour.com and also at Runner Store in the Golden Hall mall in the northern Athenian suburb of Maroussi.