Our Mission
The NYU Sports Film Festival celebrates the intersection of athletics and cinema, showcasing powerful stories that capture the human spirit through sports. Co-produced by the NYU Production Lab and NYU Athletics, we bring together filmmakers, athletes, and storytellers to honor the tradition of great sports filmmaking.
"From Raging Bull to He Got Game to The Rider, NYU filmmakers have brought powerful sports stories to the screen. The NYU Sports Film Festival celebrates that great tradition."
– John Tintori, director, screenwriter, and Oscar-winning film editor
2026 Films
The untold story of Hall of Fame coach George Raveling — a figure whose influence helped shape basketball's global evolution and the rise of Nike. Executive produced by Charles Barkley, the film pulls back the curtain on one of the game's overlooked architects.
Unraveling George
In his own words, college basketball coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson steps forward to tell the full story of his career — from player development to the center of the NCAA's most consequential modern scandal. A rare and unfiltered portrait of accountability and reflection.
Open Book
A Filipino-American baseball pitcher pushes his body to the limit in order to live up to the pressures put on him by his family and his team.
Spit Out Your Bones
Mattia, a rising basketball talent, dreams of playing in the championship final in front of his father. When faced with yet another announced absence, he decides he will do whatever it takes to make sure his father sees him play.
SHOWTIME
At the turn of the 20th century, two rising boxers meet at the biggest stage — a match that will decide the world lightweight title. In the wake of a mind-boggling 40-round title bout, Battling Nelson and Ad Wolgast find their lives forever changed, and forever intertwined.
Bloodshed
A young Korean-American figure skater must bear the tough-love parenting of her mother, the mind games of her coach, and her own insidious self-doubt as she recovers from an injury.
Bleeding Edge
This documentary follows Carlos Rodriguez — a Vietnam veteran, renowned martial artist, and unexpected golf teacher — as he trains for his first PGA event in decades. His extraordinary life proves that anyone can not just overcome, but master, anything.
Playing Through
Over the course of three days, a team of underdog, misfit kids seek a victory on the schoolyard against their all-star classmates and win the prize lunch box.
Lunch Box
A police officer struggles to stay connected to his community and uses handball as his escape, keeping in touch with the last piece of the person he once was.
Ball for Life
Follow athlete and writer Naima Zanoguera on a spiritual journey as she contemplates trail running as it speaks to personal and collective identity — a contemplative visual exploration of what it means to belong.
The Itinerant
After being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, 69-year-old Ruth Grover turns to rock climbing to fight back, building strength, community, and pursuing one defining climb that becomes her symbol of resilience.
Hold On
In a coastal village in Bali, five children train for a pickleball tournament as the sport takes root in Indonesia — a rare symbol of connection where cultures and generations meet amid mass tourism and the erosion of identity.
Shifting Courts
While chasing a championship with his team, a young basketball player is drawn into an unsettling incident with his coach, threatening his friendship with his closest teammate.
The Lion of Teranga
After his father's death, a Swedish man discovers documents from Nazi Germany revealing a footballer sent to a concentration camp — and his father's true identity — after years of research that brings Hamburg football's dark history to life.