April 25–26, 2025 · Angelika Film Center & NYU Production Lab
The 5th Annual NYU Sports Film Festival returned to the Angelika Film Center for two nights of screenings, with a speaker panel, pitch contest, student doc screening, and awards ceremony at the NYU Production Lab.
The 2025 festival continued the momentum with 12 official selections drawn from submissions representing 22 U.S. states and 17 countries, screened across two nights at the Angelika Film Center.
The Athletics Film Workshops expanded in February, doubling participation. The Sports Documentary Course grew to 11 student films, and the second-ever Pitch Contest featured project ideas from selected filmmakers plus live “Wild Card” pitches from the audience.
Industry guests included representatives from MLB, NBC, FOX Sports, Overtime, and Amazon.
Andrew Long accepts Best NYU Documentary for Without Glory
Peter Carellini wins the Pitch Contest Jury Prize for True Scotsman
Directed by Izzy Cohan
Follows a group of young ski jumpers from the Northeast as they train and compete, at a critical point in the sport’s lifecycle — a meditation on and celebration of the sport, childhood, and the communities that support it.
Directed by Alan He
13-year-old Andrew Chong plays on his town’s travel baseball team. Surrounded by white faces, he makes jokes at his own expense to find approval, and pushes away his overbearing, baseball-obsessed father.
Directed by Andrew Long
Adrian Davis is a veteran boxing trainer dreaming of the success that has eluded him for 50+ years. At 78, with mounting debts, he struggles to balance caring for his terminally ill wife with mentoring his would-be champions.
Directed by Manu Fernández · Spain
Marie faces the reigning king of chess in a speakeasy tournament, where a persuasive, elegant official makes her an attractive but crazy proposal — not knowing he is the prince of darkness himself.
Directed by Connor Langley · United Kingdom
Follows Jimmy Simpson, a quadriplegic daredevil, on his journey from novice to champion surfer along the northeast British coast, supported by a community of surfers and friends.
Directed by Bristol Studio & Eric Dargan
Goes behind the scenes of how World Basketball Day was conceptualized, championed, and recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2023 — following NYU Professor David Hollander’s work to make it happen.
Directed by Edgar Ruiz Hernández · Canada
A journey through four combat disciplines — Historical European Martial Arts, modern fencing, karate, and historical reenactment — and the shared principles of discipline, legacy, skill, and community that unite them.
Directed by Madee Sabatier
A verité portrait of Angel City FC’s devoted supporter groups, following Lesly Vanessa as she navigates personal struggles through her second family, AC Pandemonium.
Directed by Jakob Michal · Germany
13-year-old Arminius navigates the contrasting worlds of chessboxing — and a demanding father who is also his boxing coach — as they prepare for the German championship.
Directed by Graham Ros
To remedy a game-ending mistake, a volleyball player must face off against a different type of opponent: his own subconscious.
Directed by Max Lee
A Korean-American boxer fights to protect her younger brother as they navigate a new city and the weight of past upheavals — a portrait of sibling love and resilience.
Directed by Shawn Antoine II
Chronicles 37 years of the Kingdome, the legendary Harlem basketball tournament, through the eyes of founder Terry “Huncho” Cooper and the players, fans, and organizers who made it a symbol of community and resilience.
Directed by Ellie Windham
Follows the all-women running collective Girls Run NYC as they push through the Black Canyon Ultra Marathon in 2022.
Directed by Joshua Brad-Lee Garrido · Canada
Two taekwondo fighters, lifelong friends turned rivals, spend a night at the local dojang before their eventual match.
Directed by Thibault Delautre · France
Rival runners Arthur and Enzo must learn to respect each other when their coach decides only one of them will race at regionals.
Directed by Josh Bogardus
An East Coast ski film following Blake Keogh and his 1971 Scotty camper in search of snow, solitude, and connection.
Friday, April 25 · 1:30–2:30pm · NYU Production Lab
The festival kicked off with a panel on the many ways sports stories get told — on air, in two languages, on screen, and behind the scenes.
Sports Anchor & Reporter, NBC 4 New York
A multiple Emmy-winning sports anchor who has covered the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Final, and World Series since joining NBC 4 in 2014.
Spanish-Language Voice of the NY Jets; MLB Network
A pioneer of Spanish-language sports broadcasting for over four decades, and co-founder of La Vida Baseball.
Senior Broadcast Talent Producer, FOX Sports
An Emmy-winning producer with nearly 20 years in live television across ESPN, NASCAR, MSNBC, and FOX Sports.
Actor & Filmmaker (Rez Ball)
A Diné filmmaker and NYU film graduate who worked on Killers of the Flower Moon and co-founded Redhorse Media to amplify Indigenous voices.
Friday, April 25 · 3:00–4:30pm · NYU Production Lab
The second-ever NYUSFF Pitch Contest featured six selected filmmakers plus “Wild Card” pitchers drawn from the audience, all receiving live feedback from the judges.
VP, Overtime Studios
Helped grow Overtime from a young startup to over 120 million followers after showrunning ESPN’s Barstool Van Talk.
Principal, Unscripted Creative, Amazon Sports
Former head of Ringer Films and producer of ESPN’s Basketball: A Love Story; NYU Sports Law, Media & Business alum.
Development & Production Executive, Watch This Ready
Develops bold films and shows at the production company behind Splitsville, starring Dakota Johnson.
Three award-winning 2025 films — Without Glory, Ān-dé-lǔ, and The First World Basketball Day — were featured in the 5th Annual NYUSFF television special on SNY.