The International Sports Film Festival 2025 commenced with a star-studded opening ceremony at Rotary Sadan, Kolkata. Former Indian footballer Dipendu Biswas inaugurated the festival by ringing the ceremonial bell, officially marking the beginning of this highly anticipated cinematic celebration of sports.
The inaugural event witnessed the presence of several distinguished personalities from the film and sports fraternity, including renowned filmmaker duo Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit Guha, actresses Basabdatta Chatterjee and Shatakshi Nandi, director Krishnendu Chatterjee, and music composer Savvy from the upcoming Bengali comedy Hungama Dot Com.
Scheduled to run from February 11 to February 15, the festival will screen all its films at Nandan III, Kolkata, from 1:30 PM to 7:30 PM daily. Expanding its outreach beyond Kolkata, the festival will also be hosted in four other cities—Siliguri, Lucknow, Delhi, and Port Blair—bringing a curated selection of award-winning sports films from 2024 and 2025 to a broader audience.
This year’s edition features a diverse lineup of 24 films in multiple languages, representing 13 countries. The competitive section will showcase 18 films from across the globe, including entries from Australia, Colombia, Greece, Iran, Japan, New Zealand, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka, the United States, and India. Notably, these films are making their Indian premiere at the festival, promising audiences fresh narratives and compelling storytelling.
In a significant expansion, the festival has introduced two new categories—LGBTQ+ Sports and Adventure Sports—highlighting the evolving landscape of sports cinema and its inclusive representation of diverse themes.
With a stellar lineup of films and a strong international presence, the International Sports Film Festival 2025 aims to celebrate the dynamic intersection of sports and cinema while offering audiences an immersive experience of inspiring stories from around the world.
