A new film festival will launch in South Bend, Indiana this fall with the goal of bringing sports fans and movie fans together.
Dubbed the Dynasty Sports Film Festival (DSFF), the event will take place October 22 to October 25 in the heart of one of America’s most passionate sports regions – a place synonymous with Notre Dame football. Sponsors say the four-day festival will celebrate “the stories that shape sports culture while creating a new gathering place for the intersection of sports and cinema.
The Dynasty Sports Film Festival presents films and series across six award categories, including documentary feature films, documentary feature films, short films, brand films, student films, social and digital content creation projects. It also screens films and television series out of competition.
The 2026 schedule of festival activities includes gala shows, anniversary shows, and talks by athletes and creators. It was founded and will be presented by Shade Studios.
“The inaugural Dynasty Sports Film Festival will establish South Bend as the capital of sports film and media, located in the heart of America’s most passionate sports sector,” said DSFF founders Marissa Hill and Alfred Castaneda of Shade Studios. “We’re thrilled to bring filmmakers, creators and athletes together for the first year of this festival and can’t wait to share what we’ve been building with Dynasty audiences.”
The festival opens on October 22, with a world premiere of the documentary “Lou Holtz: 60 Minutes to Play and a Lifetime to Remember” about iconic Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, followed by a Q&A moderated by ESPN’s Hannah Storm featuring director Ted Mandell. The evening is sponsored by B&H Creators, a division of B&H Photo, Sony, Profoto, and Lexar, and will culminate with an opening night party at the Studebaker Museum.
Prime Video’s upcoming drama series, “The Greatest,” about the life of Muhammad Ali, will make its festival debut with a quick screening of episode 1 on October 23. On the same day, the festival will also include a screening of the ESPN documentary “The Brittney Griner Story” featuring WNBA star Brittney Griner.
On October 24 there will be a special 40th Anniversary screening of the director’s cut of “Hoosiers” with a Q&A with David Anspaugh, who directed the film as well as “Rudy,” and screenwriter (and DSFF jury member) Angelo Pizzo. There’s also a screening of “First Five,” a look at legendary basketball coach Bob Knight’s first recruiting class at Indiana University, featuring a Q&A with NBA player and doc subject John Laskowski and other members of the team. In addition, there will be a screening of the ESPN documentary “Give Me the Ball!” with tennis legends Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, and Serena Williams, along with Elton John.
The festival concludes with family-friendly programming on Oct. 25 with a 20th anniversary screening of “Cars.”
Additional programs will be announced later. The festival’s jurors include Pizzo, Eugene Lee (NFL Agent), Deirdre Boyle (Professor Emeritus in Media, New School) Maura Shea (Head of Film Production Department, Penn State University), Fede Goldenberg (Head of YouTube Film and TV Partnerships), Wilson Morales (Critics’ Choice Board of Directors, Journalist at Black Film and TV), Dr. Galen Clavio, Indiana Sports Media Program (Dr. and Ted Mandell (Professor of Film Production, Notre Dame).