About Us

The US Sports Film Festival (USSFF) debuted in 2008 as the only comprehensive U.S. based sports film festival, celebrating both classic favorites (Miracle, Hoosiers, We are Marshall, Invincible) and the best in new sports films prior to their general release. Each film screening features a special event or panel giving attendants an interactive experience with the actors, directors, producers and inspirational figures that brought their favorite stories to the silver screen.

In addition to red-carpet premieres and star-studded Festival events, the Festival features multiple programs centered on promoting and growing the sports film Industry, including:

•    Sports film casting tryouts, curated by member of the board Mark Ellis and his Hollywood-based company Sports Studio

•    Sports & Film Continuing Legal Education program, providing sports and entertainment lawyers panel discussions on key topics in the industry.

• Special events designed by our Sports Making a Difference program (SMAD), which advocates the use of sports as a vehicle to make a difference in society.

Our mission is to build the premier international sports and film festival experience in the world with film screenings of new and seminal sports films that portray all the drama within the spirit of competition. To better understand the full impact of these films and the real stories behind them, the USSFF will host panel discussions with filmmakers, actors, athletes and industry executives.

In 2008, the USSFF featured Kicking It, a documentary that chronicled a mission to raise awareness for the homeless by organizing the Homeless World Cup. After the film, the USSFF held an “Action Initiative” panel discussion to focus on specific steps that could be taken to address the issues promoted by the film and how to continue to use sports as a vehicle to facilitate change.

In 2009, the organization continued to resonate its presence within the sports entertainment industry, coming to the support of the annual Artists vs. Writers game in the Hamptons featuring celebrities and sponsors, and by curating the film festival portion of the first ever Eats, Beats and Cleats Festival that’s scheduled to take over Lincoln Road in Miami Beach during Super Bowl weekend (February 4-7, 2010). The USSFF will treat Super Bowl fans with multiple film screenings, including Invincible and, The U, one of ESPN’s 30 in 30 films. Bonnie Bernstein, Vince Papale, Mark Ciardi and members of the Miami Hurricanes will be on hand to discuss the films.