Marathon Mom

Description

Official Selections & Screenings
CBS Film Series
Jewish Sports Heritage Association

Trailer

Synopsis

Marathon Mom tells the story of Beatie Deutsch, a young mother of five who is racing to fulfill her dream of becoming an Olympic athlete. Beatie defies the stereotypes assigned to Ultra-Orthodox women by the world and mainstream media. She’s young, hip, inspiring, liberated, and a world-class athlete. Most importantly, she’s a woman of faith, proud to share her beliefs and inspire everyone she touches—an inspiration to women of all faiths.

When the COVID epidemic derails Beatie’s qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the trajectory of her career takes an unexpected turn. Over the next three years, she competes in the UK, Berlin, Seville, Kenya, and Tokyo in pursuit of a race time of 2:29:30. We watch her grapple with setbacks, injuries, and psychological challenges, including struggles with body image and an eating disorder. Will the single-minded pursuit of qualifying within the Olympic standard extinguish her joy and passion for what she loves?

Director

Rebecca Shore

Shore was a writer for the widely viewed documentary Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference (2011). She produced Beneath the Helmet: From High School to the Homefront (2014) and Sustainable Nation (2019) and directed Mekonen: The Journey of an African Jew (2016), When the Smoke Clears (2017), and Converts (2021). She is an artist, educator, and lecturer.

Oren Rosenfeld

Rosenfeld, a multi-Emmy Award winner, was the co-producer of Beneath the Helmet: From High School to the Homefront (2014) and the director of Hummus! The Movie (2015) and Converts (2021). He is a photojournalist and has produced, directed, and filmed documentaries and investigative reports for the BBC, Vice, National Geographic, the History Channel, and many other media platforms.

Press

Maariv

Jerusalem Post