Top Spot of the Week: Director Richard Bullock Tells A Refugee's Story In Documentary For Sportswear Brand On

Swiss sportswear brand On has launched The Right To Race, a powerful original documentary recounting Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu’s remarkable journey from a stateless refugee to become an elite athlete. Released last week on World Refugee Day and premiering at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the film also raises wider questions about the importance of identity, representation and belonging, by celebrating and highlighting humanity’s untapped potential. 

What does it mean to have an identity--not just as an athlete but as a person? That’s the question that has propelled refugee and long distance runner Lobalu from a war-torn region in South Sudan to the snow-filled slopes of Switzerland where he is fighting for the right to race and represent his new country on the world stage.

Written and directed by filmmaker Richard Bullock in association with production house Hungry Man, this half-hour film deploys archive footage compiled from as early as 2017 to tell the story of Lobalu’s quest to represent Switzerland at the World Athletics Championships, where--despite being an elite competitor challenging the world’s best--he is currently excluded from official Refugee teams and has to wait up to 10 years before being eligible for citizenship in Switzerland.  

The Right To Race centers around the special relationship forged between Lobalu and his Swiss coach, Markus Hagmann--a relationship born from a shared love of running. Lobalu’s struggle to be recognized by World Athletics as an international contender representing his home country takes center stage as negotiations continue with the sport’s governing body.

The film deftly captures the disappointment, determination and incredible physical prowess of an athlete who is at the top of his game--yet unable to compete. 

The Right to Race is Bullock’s third collaboration with On, having written and directed the brand’s previous short films including RUN: The Athlete Refugee Team Story and the award-winning animated production Black Ice. A writer/director whose longform films have run on the National Geographic Channel, Eurosport and the BBC, Bullock built up an award-winning track record in advertising before focusing on directing full time. He was a former executive creative director at 180 Amsterdam and worked with agencies such as Chiat\Day\Mojo, Hunt Lascaris TBWA, Cliff Freeman & Partners, and Lowe Howard Spink. 

Bullock said, “The Right to Race is largely a story about the trials and tribulations of a refugee athlete. It’s also a touching story of how a growing friendship can persevere and, as a united front, never give up the fight. We were also glad to capture the innermost thoughts and feelings of those who represent World Athletics as a compelling juxtaposition on how the sport’s authority views and responds to the plight of Dominic, as a refugee, trying to claim his identity not just as an athlete but as a human.”

Alongside its world premiere at Cannes Lions, The Right to Race was broadcast in 53 countries on Eurosport 1 on World Refugee Day during Prime Time. The film will also be shown during relevant sporting events, such as the World Athletics Championships 2023, and available on Discovery+ streaming services throughout Europe.