Samsung Profiles Athletes From Struggling Nations in Olympics Film

In the run up to the Rio Olympics, plenty of brands will be featuring high profile Olympic athletes in their ads -- or even those who are less well-known, but are backed by rich and important nations.
Olympics sponsor Samsung has taken a different tack, funding a branded documentary that profiles four hopefuls from small countries and poorer parts of the world who have struggled to overcome challenges to get to the Games. "A Fighting Chance," which screened this week at the Tribeca Film Festival and can also be viewed in full on Vimeo, follows athletes from Lesotho (Tsepo Mathibelle, Marathon), Vanuatu (Miller Pata and Linline Matauatu, Beach Volleyball) and the Dominican Republic (Yenebier Guillen Benitez, Boxing, 75kg).
The 37-minute film was directed by Morgan Neville, (director of the documentary "20 Feet From Stardom," which won an Oscar in 2014). "One of the things that's great about the Olympic Games is that it's a place where everybody gets to share the stage, but some of these countries and athletes don't have the proper resources and are faced with so many challenges," said Neville in a statement.