CSFF
Film of the Month
Canadian Sport Film Festival
Film of the Month
CSFF is pleased to feature a Film of the Month series.
Each month we showcase a different short film about sport from around the world.
The CSFF Film of the Month for September is JessZilla.
This is the short that inspired the feature that screened at CSFF 2023 on Opening Night.
Films of the Month
July 2024
The Boy Who Learned to Fly
With the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer, our Film of the Month for July is The Boy Who Learned to Fly – an animated short about Usain Bolt, produced by Gatorade for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
2016, Animation, United States
7 minutes, English
The Boy Who Learned to Fly screened at CSFF 2018.
June 2024
Tryouts
Nayla, a Muslim-American girl, tries out for her high school cheerleading team – will she make the cut?
2013, Drama, United States
14 minutes, English
Director: Susana Casares
- EMMY’s Foundation College Television Award Winner – Best Drama
- Best Short winner at multiple film festivals – awards list on Vimeo
May 2024
Man to Man
Tensions fly when a teen must fight his father in the boxing ring as he decides he cannot be the kind of man his father wants him to be, and refuses to learn how to fight.
2023, Drama, United Kingdom
19 minutes, English
Director: Shehroze Khan
- Nominated for a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award and an Independent Spirit Award
- Man to Man screened with JessZilla on CSFF 2023 Opening Night
- Watch the Man to Man trailer
March 2024
International Women's Day
The Fighting Cholitas
Meet The Fighting Cholitas! These bold, Bolivian female wrestlers enter the ring every Sunday in their multilayered skirts to perform the acrobatic maneuvers of Lucha Libre.
2006, Documentary Short, United States
20 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles
Director: Mariam Jobrani
- Sundance 2007 – Honorable Mention
February 2024
Black History Month
Harry Jerome: The Fastest Man on Earth
Canadian athlete Harry Jerome was once the fastest man on earth. He overcame racism and a career-ending injury to achieve one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Harry’s life and achievements inspired the Harry Jerome International Track Classic – Canada’s longest-running track & field event.
2011, Documentary Short, Canada
10 minutes
Director: Ileana Pietrobruno
This short doc was made especially for younger students, with content adapted from the NFB feature-length doc Mighty Jerome, directed by Charles Officer.
January 2024
Friday night Blind
Three visually impaired friends introduce us to their Friday night bowling league where there is no shortage of strikes, spares, gutter balls, trash talking, and victory dancing.
2022, Documentary Short, United States
13 minutes
Directors: Scott Krahn & Robb Fischer
Friday Night Blind screened at CSFF 2023 and was also featured in The New Yorker in 2024.
August 2023
Iron Hands
A twelve-year old girl tries out for the all-boys Chinese youth Olympic weightlifting team. Before her final test, she makes an unlikely connection with the weightlifting gym’s reclusive groundskeeper.
2017, Drama, China, United States
11 minutes
Chinese, with English sub-titles
Director: Johnson Cheng
Iron Hands screened at CSFF 2018.
July 2023
Kickstart
Street Soccer Canada sponsored Team Canada at the 2014 Homeless World Cup in Santiago, Chile. In the short doc KICKSTART, players and coaches reflect on the positive impacts playing soccer has had on their lives.
2014, Documentary, Canada
12 minutes
Director: Richard Fitoussi
Homeless World Cup – How it began
Watch Street Leagues – a 2020 feature-length doc about the Irish Homeless Street Leagues.
June 2023
Inuit High Kick
Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril uses super slow motion to magnify the incredible skill and physicality needed to perform the Inuit one-foot high kick — a traditional Inuit event in which the athlete stands on one foot, jumps in the air, kicks a suspended sealskin ball, then lands on the same foot.
2009, Documentary, Canada
2 minutes
Director:
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril
May 2023
Ma Bar
Scotland’s Bill McFadyen was a world champion power lifter at age 73. His Masters 4 world record for bench press at 175kg (385 lbs) still stands.
2009, Documentary, United Kingdom
12 minutes
Produced and Directed by:
Adrian McDowall & Finlay Pretsell
March 2023
Just Breathe
A competitive water polo player overcomes anxiety and assault to realize her dreams as a college athlete and leader.
2015, Documentary, United States
8 minutes
Director: Ben Steinbauer
December 2022
Gnarly In Pink
Celebrating the “Pink Helmet Posse”, three feisty 6-year-old girls who prove that skateboarding is not just for boys.
2014, Documentary, United States
8 minutes
Directors: Kristelle Laroche and Ben Mullinkosson
Gnarly in Pink screened at CSFF 2018.
November 2022
My Greatest Day Ever
On the morning of the football grand final Scotty’s lucky sock is nowhere to be found. Scotty must battle his superstition to try to save the big game.
2007, Drama, Australia
9 minutes
Director: Mark Bellamy
October 2022
The Perfect Fit
Dedicated craftsmen masterfully create perfect footwear for the graceful and demanding athletic artistry of ballet.
2011, Documentary, United Kingdom
9 minutes
Director: Tali Yankelevich
September 2022
Baseball in the Time of Cholera
A young baseball player dreams of the big leagues amid the tragedy and scandal of Haiti’s cholera epidemic.
2012, Documentary, Haiti
28 minutes
Directors: David Darg and Bryn Mooser
(RYOT Films)
August 2022
Waterbabies
Discover the strength, grace and artistry of synchronized swimming through the eyes of a teenage team.
2015, Documentary, United States, United Kingdom
16 minutes
Director: Nora Ballard
July 2022
Fast Horse
Capturing the thrill of “North America’s original extreme sport”: Blackfoot bareback horse racing Indian Relay.
2018, Documentary, Canada
13 minutes
Director: Alexandra Lazarowich