Comedy Works in Greenwood Village Presents THE ATHLETE, Part of Film Festival Flix, Today, 11/13

Today, November 13, 2012, Comedy Works will be premiering The Athlete, a Sports Drama/Biopic film directed by Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew.

Running the streets of Rome in 1960, an unknown, barefooted-Ethiopian man stunned the world by winning Olympic gold in the marathon. A hero in his own country and to the continent, Abebe Bikila was the first African to win a gold medal, and four years later in Tokyo would become the first person in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon. One evening while returning to his home from training in the Ethiopian countryside, Bikila was involved in a tragic car accident, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Unable to walk and faced with the greatest challenge of his life, he struggled to maintain his will to live and in the process discovered a deeper meaning of competition, taking up archery for the Paralympics and competing as a handicapped dog sledder in Norway.

Written by Rasselas Lakew, Davey Frankel, and Mikael Aemiro awake, and tarring Rasselas Lakew, Dag Malmberg, Ruta Gedmintas, and Abba Waka Dessalegn, The Athlete has been honored with many awards including "Best of Fest" at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Festival.

The event is part of Film Festival Flix, a monthly series that brings the film festival experience to communities around the country, making the films available to independent film enthusiasts theatrically and also on multiple platforms. On the 2nd Tuesday of each month, for one night only, a new film will be premiered. You will have the opportunity to meet and interact with filmmakers and actors. In addition we will discover local talent by viewing premieres of short films submitted for competition. The schedule for today's November 13 event is as follows:

5:30 - Doors Open
6:30 - 6:50 National & Colorado shorts
6:50 - 8:30 The Athlete (feature film)
8:30 - 8:55 The Athlete talk back - live

Advanced tickets are available. Call 720-274-6800 or visit www.filmfestivalflix.com.

Comedy Works is located at 5345 Landmark Place in Greenwood Village, Colorado.