U.S. SPORTS FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY COMCAST SPORTSNET TO HOST FIGHT NIGHT WITH PREMIERS OF RENZO GRACIE: LEGACY AND KASSIM THE DREAM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25 IN PHILDELPHIA
Screenings to include panel discussions with stars of the documentaries, New Jersey Athletic Control Board Counsel Nick Lembo, Pa. Boxing Commissioner Greg Sirb, and others
PHILADELPHIA (October 12, 2008) Organizers of the inaugural U.S. Sports Film Festival today announced that a special part of the Saturday, October 25 schedule of events will include a track dedicated to boxing and MMA documentaries, with a panel discussion to follow each of the films. The complete four-day event is taking place in Philadelphia from October 23-26.
Philadelphia, the city that gave us Smokin Joe Frazier and Rocky has always been a fight town, and we are proud to be able to have these two films about two amazing stories as part of the festival on Saturday night, USSFF chairman of the board and founder Stephen Hartman said. We think that fans will enjoy both of the films and enjoy meeting the stars of the movies afterward.
The two films to be screened exclusively for fight fans will be the world premier of Renzo Gracie: Legacy; the documentary about the legendary champion and the story of one of the most famous families in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts ,followed by Kassim The Dream, the story of Ugandan-born (and Philadelphia resident) boxing world champion Kassim Ouma, a kidnapped child soldier and his struggles to break free and regain his life as a professional athlete.
The back-to-back screenings on Saturday will be at The Prince Street Theater in Philadelphia starting at 6:30 p.m., and will be followed by a panel discussion for fans with the stars of the film, including Renzo Gracie and Kassim Ouma as well as New Jersey Athletic Control Board Counsel Nick Lembo and Pennsylvania Boxing Commissioner Gregory Sirb.
To obtain tickets to the U.S. Sports Film Festival go to www.ussportsfilmfestival.com or call (800) 298-4200. For Sponsorship information please call (212) 752-2500.
In all, the USSFF will have more than 40 screenings. Recently added films include:
Bud Greenspans 16 Days to Glory; First Basket, about follows the little-known history of Jews and basketball at the beginning of the 20th century; Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, the story of the famed 1968 Ivy League football game between two of the most renowned academic institutions in the world; Peglegs of St. Stuyvesant High, is the documentary produced by five-time Emmy winner Paulette Douglas, following Manhattans Stuyvesant High School football team and the lives of Max Niddam, Romeo Alexander and Aaron Landman; Pittsburgh Passion, this documentary brings you football with a spin, following the lives of the Pittsburgh Passion of the International Womens Football League (IWFL); Running the Sahara, on February 20, Charlie, Ray and Kevin touched the Red Sea, just a few hours before sunset en route through six countries and the Sahara; Streetballers, is an Irish-Urban drama exploring the lives of two junior-college basketball players and their struggles within a
divided city, broken homes, and the demands of collegiate level athletics; Sugar, a fictional true-to-life drama around the character of Miguel Sugar Santos, a hot Dominican pitching prospect for the fictional Kansas City Knights who has a dream to make it in the big leagues; and We Are Young, the Major League Baseball Productions production which spans seven years chronicling the highs and lows of brothers Delmon and Dmitri Youngs journey to make and succeed in the Major Leagues.
Comcast SportsNet is the presenting sponsor of the 2008 U.S. Sports Film Festival. Versus is a founding partner and CN8, along with Comcast-Spectacor, owners of the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA, the Flyers of the NHL, and Phantoms of the AHL are associate partners of this years festival.
In addition to Comcast, other sponsors and media partners for the U.S. Sports Film Festival include: Zathlete.com, Barefoot Wine, the Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles and Soul, KYW NewsRadio 1060, 610WIP Sports Radio, Greater Philadelphia Film Office, Philadelphia Sports Congress, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Film Office, Philadelphia Weekly and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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