Philadelphia Sports Film Festival Announces First Series Of Films

The inaugural U.S. Sports Film Festival (USSFF) will kick off this year on October 23 and run through the 26th in the City of Brotherly Love.  The first series of nine films selected to be screened was announced earlier today via press release.  Here is a portion of that release:

The festival…will debut the Mixed Martial Arts documentary “Renzo Gracie: Legacy,” the life story of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master and the American patriarch of one of the world’s fastest rising sports, as well as the debut of “Basketball in the Barrio,” the story of two former University of Texas El Paso basketball players who started a program teaching basketball to the impoverished immigrant children of  South El Paso, and the stories of those who used basketball as a tool for fulfillment.

Other critically-acclaimed films slated to run at the USSFF include “Kickin It,” the Ted Leonsis-produced film about a team of homeless soccer players and their life stories and successes on the pitch; “Run For Your Life,” the true-life story of the man who created the New York City Marathon, Fred Lebow; and “Kassim The Dream,” the story of Ugandan-born boxing world champion Kassim Ouma, a kidnapped child soldier and his struggles to break free and regain his life as a professional athlete.

Each film will include a series of events involving the stars and makers of the films, who will be on hand to discuss all the elements that went into making these landmarks.  Already, nearly 100 films have been submitted for review ranging from the traditional sports to Mixed Martial Arts, Extreme Endurance Racing and even Pin Trading.  The remaining list of 10 films, many to be seen on a big screen for the first time, will be released in the coming weeks. 

Additionally, the first 10 films also include a series of classic films by director Mark Ciardi,including “Invincible,” “Miracle,” and “The Rookie.”