RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE
NFB documentary Gun Runners tracks the journey of a Kenyan cattle rustler’s transformation into a marathoner determined to leave behind his violent past
Julius Arile wasn’t going to run in the Montreal Marathon on Sunday, but at the last minute he decided to join the 5-km race. Starting at the back of the pack, he still finished first.
“It was nice — a bit slow but it was nice,” said the Kenyan marathoner and former cattle rustler, who is one of the subjects of Anjali Nayar’s new NFB documentary Gun Runners.
The 10-year filmmaking odyssey began a few months after former Montrealer Nayar arrived in Kenya, in 2006. A graduate of Columbia University’s documentary film journalism program, she met Arile and fellow former rustler Robert Matanda at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Race, meant to reduce tension among rival tribes in northern Kenya, and was immediately struck by their story.
The two had taken advantage of an amnesty program offered to cattle rustlers, in which they could trade in their guns for running shoes and begin sponsored marathon training.
“They had already lived through so much, living this warrior lifestyle as cattle rustlers,” Nayar said. “They had guns, they were stealing cows, and were presented with this incredible opportunity to restart their lives.”
Nayar did a short radio piece on the two men, which was broadcast on CBC, but it didn’t end there.
“Their story stayed in the back of my head,” she said. “Over the years we became friends. I collected material as I went along . ... Many times I wasn’t even filming. We were just hanging out.”
Following Arile and Matanda over such a long period allowed Nayar to capture the ups-anddowns of their lives as they tried to outrun their violent past.
Sitting in a downtown restaurant Tuesday afternoon, Arile had a distant look at times, zoning out of conversation when Nayar and I were speaking, then cracking a wide smile and speaking thoughtfully when addressed. Needless to say, promotional interviews and photo ops are a world away from the troubled existence he once knew.
“The way of life as a warrior is terrible,” he said. “I managed to come out of that easily because I accepted to come out. But during that time, it was dangerous. I decided to give up my gun because one time when we were fighting, one of my friends was shot dead. I thought, the next one is me.
“I decided to go out and start another type of livelihood. I came out, surrendered my gun to the government police, then started training. From there up to now, I’m still training.”
Gun Runners sticks with Arile through the tribulations of his burgeoning running career, including a training camp which a coach calls “the boulevard of broken dreams” due to the high number of runners who don’t make it.
Running holds the promise of not just athletic glory but the means to subsistence for many African hopefuls. When Arile places well in one race, shown in the film, he uses the prize money to buy a neighbouring ranch and cows for his family.
Sidelined for the better part of the last three years due to injury, he has been training again since January, and will make his return to competition at Toronto’s Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 16.
“My dream is to run well, train well, and maybe if I can run a big marathon (and place) one, two, three, then after that maybe do another business in my area,” he said. “Life now is better, but not better enough.”
While Arile pursued a career in running, his old friend Matanda became disenchanted with it as an option. Gun Runners follows him on his equally fraught path into politics, first on the communal then the national level.
Tragically, Matanda and his wife were killed in a traffic accident in March, leaving behind seven children whom Arile, Nayar and others in the community have come together to take care of. While the NFB is a governmental organization and can’t directly raise money, Nayar and her team have launched their own fundraising initiative to help the family (at gofundme.com/ gunrunnersmovie).
“We’re taking their kids through school,” Nayar said. “During their first break from boarding school, (five of them) came to stay with me in Nairobi — new mom! I made a lot of mistakes but I learned a lot, too. Arile has really helped navigate the political stuff, and his wife has helped.
“We’re trying to keep them safe, happy and healthy. At least through us, they know there are people in the world who love them, who won’t hurt them and are there for them when they need it.”
Nayar and Arile are doing their best to remain philosophical about the situation, seeing it as but the latest hurdle to overcome.
“Stuff like that is part of life in Kenya, as Arile was saying,” Nayar said. “I think there has been tragedy but there is also a level of hope, which is what the film is about: do you pack in your bags and give up when everything goes wrong or do you keep on going?
“It’s a genuine story about life and how it is ... It’s not about a social issue, specifically. It’s about two friends trying to navigate everything life throws at them. It’s about love, family and community. Living and working in Kenya, you don’t see a lot of films like that, that allow people to tell their own story. I’m really proud of that.”