There is hardly any other area of society where the binary gender system is upheld as much as in sport. The basis of physical high performance leads to binary categories, which Julia Fuhr Mann has made it her mission to undermine, both figuratively and literally. Trans* marathon runner Amanda Reiter from Lenggries in Bavaria and Ugandan 800-metre runner Annet Negesa, along with many other athletes, are at the centre of this story about restrictive gender concepts in competitive sport and the attempt to break free of them.

The director does not conform to conservative gender conventions or conventional film genres, thus developing a new hybrid format. The essayistic documentary interweaves archive footage with performative elements and documentary material, expressively designed by DoP Caroline Spreitzenbart. What makes the film unique are the fluid transitions from found footage clips, such as recordings from the 1928 Olympic Games, to scenes from the present day, in which a “choir” of non-binary athletes discuss, train and demonstrate together. This creates a queer understanding of time that is not rigid and linear, but dynamic and multidimensional.

Life Is Not a Competition, But I’m Winning is a visually stunning statement about breaking free from the norms of binary thinking.

Winning film National Competition for Women Directors  of Photography at IFFF Dortmund+Köln 2024