04 - THE RACE TO THE FINISH LINE
Updated: Aug 22
Writer and Director Dan Sanguineti reveals the behind the scenes stories while making BEYOND THE RUN.
As the film's narrator, Ming shows us that despite his positive and energetic persona, and his success in his career after his own international student journey, he faces his own self-doubts, hiding away his feelings at times. But he finds his strength, from his parents, who he once left behind in China to choose a new life in another country.
This is when the labels stop mattering, because the second half becomes a clock. It all begins at 4am on the 10th of May 2025, with Ming waking up on the Day of the Run. By 6am, the Run is underway from the Australian Parliament House. From there, the film compresses 38 hours into about 50 minutes, held together by an on-screen countdown to sunset at Sydney Harbour. It's a clock that doesn't care about anyone's label. Just a goal the group wants to achieve to make their cause have a visual meaning.
The finish line is symbolic, for everyone, but the journey is what makes the hard work have value. This lands as the film's internal thesis: that international students do not come to Australia to get a free ride; they work very hard to prove themselves, chasing the belonging that comes with calling Australia home.
