Jesse Owens Biopic Gets Boost From Family

7 February 2014 3:00 PM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

The daughter of Olympic athlete Jesse Owens, Marlene Owens Rankin, was at the Berlin Olympic Stadium on Thursday to attend the international sales launch of “Race,” the biopic about her father. Variety spoke to her and Stephen Hopkins, the director of the film, whose cast Jeremy Irons and Geoffrey Rush have just joined.

Owens Rankin, sitting yards from the spot where Adolf Hitler watched the 1936 Olympics in which Owens won four gold medals, said the film can deliver an uplifting message to young moviegoers.

The message “is about the human spirit — about its endurance and vulnerability — but also the success you can achieve when you are motivated, and persevere in the face of adversity,” she said. “So, hopefully, kids who are underachieving and who lack hope will be motivated by his life and successes in spite of all he went through.”

The film, which was being introduced to buyers for »

- Leo Barraclough

Similar News Items

• Spoiler Footage From "Game Of Thrones" Season 4 (From SneakPeek. 5 February 2014, 9:48 AM, PST)
• New Images From "Game Of Thrones" - Season 4 (From SneakPeek. 30 January 2014, 9:09 PM, PST)
• Pedro Pascal discusses the Red Viper in Game of Thrones season 4 (From Flickeringmyth. 28 January 2014, 9:30 AM, PST)

• Who exactly is the The Book Thief aimed at? (From The Guardian - Film News. 9 February 2014, 11:50 PM, PST)
• The Book Thief: Trailer (From Sky Movies. 31 January 2014, 2:53 AM, PST)
• Gods of Egypt casts 42 star Chadwick Boseman (From Digital Spy - Movie News. 31 January 2014, 1:24 AM, PST)

• Zack Snyder talks Batman vs. Superman and Dark Knight Returns influences (From Flickeringmyth. 10 February 2014, 5:04 AM, PST)
• Batman vs. Superman executive producer on Ben Affleck's Dark Knight (From Flickeringmyth. 8 February 2014, 12:57 AM, PST)
• Batman Vs. Superman: Producer Michael Uslan Talks Casting Ben Affleck (From MovieWeb. 7 February 2014, 8:55 AM, PST)

IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.