Private Project

Run Like We

It’s the 2012 London Olympics and the whole world is going crazy for the fastest man on the planet: Usain Bolt. Everyone apart from Alvin, an awkward 14 year-old who hates sports and constantly disappoints his Jamaican father, Lester, an ex-athlete who can’t understand why his son is “so soft”. So when Alvin is unexpectedly nominated to represent his class in the upcoming school sports day, it could be his last chance to make his dad proud and prove that he can be just like Bolt.

  • Rhys Aaron Lewis
    Director
    Ghost Train
  • Rhys Aaron Lewis
    Writer
  • Olivia Song
    Producer
  • El Anthony
    Key Cast
    Casualty, Deceit, Trial of Christine Keeler)
  • Nathan Thanki
    Key Cast
    Bridgerton, Small Axe - Red White and Blue
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Coming-of-age
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 3, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:66:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Rhys Aaron Lewis

Rhys Aaron Lewis is a writer-director from London. He began his career as a documentary filmmaker, working with the likes of the BBC, The Guardian, and BFI Doc Society on a series of non-fiction films, before venturing into the world of narrative comedy. He’s interested in cross-cultural stories and films which blur the lines between documentary and fiction.

In 2023 he was selected alongside just five other filmmakers from around the country to take part in the Amazon Prime Directors Workshop (facilitated by the National Film and Television School). During this program he made the short film, Run Like We, which will have its world premiere in competition at the BAFTA and Oscar qualifying Blackstar Film Festival.

In 2024 his short film Hundreds and Thousands was selected to screen in the UK Shorts section of BAFTA-qualifying, Raindance Film Festival. His 2019 film, Northern Ballers (funded by Doc Society) also screened at several BAFTA qualifying festivals including Aesthetica, Bolton and SOUL Fest, winning best documentary at Sheffield Short Film Festival. He has self-produced and directed several more comedy short films, which have been awarded at the British Short Film Awards (Bottlejob, 2021) and featured on popular short film platform Omeleto (Ghost Train, 2022). At the beginning of 2024 he was awarded development funding (“Belief Grant”) by Uncertain Kingdom for his next short film, Beach Toys.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As a kid growing up in London I often struggled to connect to the stereotypical image of a British Jamaican. Jamiacan’s were thought to be cool, confident and most of all athletic. But I was an out-of-shape movie nerd and most definitely wasn’t into sports, unlike the rest of my family. Unfortunately for me I found that these expectations about what it means to be Jamaican were found not just in British society at large, but also within our own homes. However, there was one moment every four years when I would unite with my family over a shared love of sport: whenever Usain Bolt competed in the Olympic games. Some of my strongest memories are of me and my family watching Bolt break world records in the 100 meter sprint. In those 10 seconds we all became united in a shared celebration of sport and Jamaican identity. I wanted to make a film about this tiny moment and how much it means to people, and how sport can bring people together, even in unexpected ways. I’m grateful to Amazon Prime and the National Film and Television School for giving me the opportunity to tell this story.