About | The NYU Sports Film Festival (NYUSFF) was created to showcase and celebrate the powerful intersection of sports and film. The festival is student-run and co-produced by the NYU Production Lab, NYU Athletics, and the NYU Tisch Institute of Global Sport, with support from NYU Tisch Undergraduate Film and Television and SNY.
“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
5th Annual Festival | The 5th Annual NYUSFF will take place April 25-26, 2025! Events will include screenings of selected short films, honoree Q&As, sports media industry panels, a pitch contest, a networking reception, and an awards ceremony. More details TBA.
History | NYUSFF began virtually in 2021, partnering with SNY on a television special before evolving into an in-person, international film festival with awards and industry programming. In 2022, the festival featured speakers from HBOSports, NFLFilms, ESPN, and Religion of Sports, as well as acclaimed guests such as Billy Crudup (Actor: The Morning Show, Almost Famous, Without Limits), Reinaldo Marcus Green (Director: King Richard, Bob Marley: One Love), and Spencer Paysinger (inspiration for hit show All American). The 2nd annual SNY special broadcast multiple times, presenting four award-winning films and event highlights.
In 2023, the festival expanded with 12 official selections from around the world screened at Village East by Angelika, where honoree Q&As were held with Laurie Hernandez (Olympic medal-winning gymnast) and Jeremiah Zagar (Director: Hustle, We the Animals). Speaker panel participants included WME agents and award-winning sports film producers, and the festival's SNY special broadcast eight times, with selections re-screening at the Catalyst Content and Lake Placid Film Festivals.
The 2024 edition marked significant growth, with 19 official selections presented over two nights of screenings along with a filmmaker Q&A that attracted packed audiences at the prestigious Angelika Film Center. The honoree Q&A with Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence was a highlight of further events held at the NYU Production Lab, including a panel on Athlete-Centric Storytelling with Sports Emmy-winning editor Anthony Cortese, Associate Director/Associate Producer for CBS Sports Rachel Wagner, Emmy-nominated producer Ryan Heller, and NCAA D3 Champion Morgan Morrison. The festival introduced a Pitch Contest judged by producers representing sports media companies such as MSG Sports and Point Road Productions. The festival also screened films from NYU's inaugural Sports Documentary Course, hosted the first ever NYU Athletics Film Workshop, and again partnered with Catalyst Content and Lake Placid Film Festival for re-screening showcases.
The 2025 NYUSFF prizes include additional screenings, $3k+ in monetary awards, professional mentorship, and TV broadcast opportunities.
| NYUSFF Grand Jury Prize |
Our jury of industry professionals will select one film that best embodies the spirit of the festival.
| NYUSFF Audience Award |
The audience award will be voted on live by all NYUSFF attendees.
| SNY Final Four |
Four films selected by our jury will broadcast on an SNY television special.
There will also be awards for each category, including NYU and Open Doc as well as NYU and Open Narrative. Our NYU Pitch Contest category will also feature exclusive prizes offered by our partners.
