The Canadian Sport Film Festival, http://sportfilmfestival.ca/

The Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) debuted in Toronto in May 2008. It has continued annually and expanded to Winnipeg. The CSFF was conceptualized and founded by executive director Russell Field, assistant professor of kinesiology and recreation management at the University of Manitoba and the former JSH film, media, and museum reviews editor. The CSFF aims to bring “together the theatre of sport and the medium of film to tell unique, provocative and passionate human stories from around the world.” I attended the inaugural CSFF and every Toronto-based CSFF since. Each CSFF is different, and, while the quality of films has varied, I have never been completely disappointed. I have found the last few years to be more consistent in a positive way. My love of film as a storytelling medium is one reason I like attending. But as an educator, I have learned that film narratives can be effective means of learning about society’s past and present.

In the time since 2008, the CSFF has maintained its original multiday end-of-week/ weekend format but eliminated concurrent screenings. The dates, venues, and number of films have varied over CSFF’s seven-year history, partly due to the availability of venues and, of course, funding. Fortunately, during the past three years, the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto has served as a very comfortable and appealing venue that I hope will continue. The format of the past three years has consisted of two screenings on the opening Friday, followed by one or two afternoons and evenings of screenings. Every year the CSFF offers a Saturday morning children/youth filmmaking workshop where kids between the ages of eight and twelve are given an opportunity to watch youth-focused sport films and to make their own stop-motion animation films. Screening sessions last from 1.5 to 2.5 hours, consisting of one or two shorts and a feature-length film. The shorts are a mix of documentary, animation, and fiction, while feature-length films are predominantly documentaries. Three out of the last four years, the CSFF has screened at least one fictional feature. Most screenings conclude with a question-and-answer session showcasing one or more people involved with the films.

The 2015 CSFF organizers screened about two hundred films from which they selected twenty-seven: eleven features and sixteen shorts. Of these selections, four were international/ world premieres, and twelve were North American or Canadian premieres. This year’s films were Kickstart (soccer), We Must Go (soccer), Love in the Time of March Madness (basketball), The Runners (running), Beer Runners (running), Tryouts (cheerleading), Kick It (soccer), Gnarly in Pink (skateboarding), The Magic Shoes (basketball), Winning Girl (wrestling and judo), Even Girls Play Footy (Australian Rules football), Stella Walsh (track and field), Althea (tennis), The Stars/Les Stars (hockey), First: The Official Film of the London 2012 Olympic Games, The Fall/Fallet (mountain climbing), Liz (boxing), Junior (boxing), Me and My Moulton (bicycle riding), Dance with Them/Dance avec elles (dance), Gender Games (basketball), Waterlilies (swimming), Coming Back to the Hoop (basketball), Blossom with Tears (acrobatics), Bounce: How the Ball Taught the World to Play (various sports), Beach Flags (lifeguarding), and Being Bruno Banani (luge).

The CSFF annually draws attention to important sport-related issues around the world. We Must Go highlights the role of soccer in recent Egyptian political unrest. Bounce emphasizes the importance of play by noting the detrimental impact of organized youth sport. Blossom with Tears and Junior present emotional images of young people hoping to improve their family’s lives through careers in acrobatics and boxing, respectively. Many of the films focus on sexual, racial, and/or ethnic discrimination. The CSFF also showcases events and groups such as Street Soccer Toronto; Beat the Streets, Toronto’s wrestling program; and Achilles Canada, a nonprofit that encourages people with disabilities to participate in running.

A major theme evident during the Toronto 2015 weekend was the many struggles and accomplishments of female athletes and filmmakers, which were illustrated via Love in the Time of March Madness, Kick It, Winning Girl, Gnarly in Pink, Althea, First...