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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. 

For Women’s History Month in March, and International Women’s Day on March 8, CSFF is featuring the award-winning short documentary The Fighting Cholitas.

Check our Film of the Month Archive for the short films we’ve shared since July 2022.

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#CSFFFOTM

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
  • Best Short Documentary – 2007 Aspen, Atlanta and Nashville film festivals

Explore the Archive

CSFF Film of the Month Archive

Check out our collection of past CSFF Films of the Month… 

Thank you for watching!

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. 

This short doc was made especially for elementary and middle-school students, with content adapted from the feature-length doc Mighty Jerome

2011, Documentary Short, Canada
10 minutes

Director: Ileana Pietrobruno

Black and white image of Black Canadian track legend Harry Jerome from the NFB short doc 'Harry Jerome: The Fastest Man on Earth' and feature doc 'Mighty Jerome'

Harry Jerome: The Fastest Man on Earth

  • Documentary Short, 10 minutes
  • Director: Ileana Pietrobruno

Mighty Jerome

  • Documentary Feature, 83 minutes
  • Director: Charles Officer
  • Canada’s longest running track and field event – held annually in July

January 2024

Image from the #CSFF23 short doc 'Friday Night Blind' showing a Black woman named Judy who is blind and holding a bowling ball.

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 featured in The New Yorker in 2024.

August 2023

- short film directed by Johnson Cheng. Screened at CSFF 2018.

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_CSFFFOTM

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

June 2023

Still image from the short doc 'Inuit High Kick' directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.

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

Image of Bill McFadyen, 73-year-old power lifter from Scotland from the short doc 'Ma Bar' (2009).

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

Image from Just Breathe short doc about female water polo player who overcame anxiety and assault.

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

Poster for the film Gnarly in Pink with 3 6-year old girls in helmets with skateboards

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

November 2022

Boy defends football goal as a ball comes towards him

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

Image: Close up of a ballet dancer’s legs standing wide with her toes on pointe. Film title below image: The Perfect Fit

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

A Black boy in a yellow shirt rests a baseball bat over his shoulder. Film title above image: Baseball in the Time of Cholera

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

The torso of a female synchronized swimmer below the waterline. Film title above: Waterbabies

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