SPORTFILM LIBEREC 2026 announces its winners. The main prize goes to the drama HEYSEL 85

The 29th edition of the international sports film festival awarded films from around the world. The jury was most impressed by the story of the tragedy at Heysel Stadium.

The international sports film festival SPORTFILM LIBEREC has announced the winners of its 29th edition. The festival’s main prize went to the Belgian-Dutch-German drama HEYSEL 85 directed by Teodora Ana Mihai. The film returns to the tragedy that took place before the European football cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at Heysel Stadium in 1985 and, through personal stories, raises questions of crowd violence, responsibility and institutional failure. The jury particularly appreciated its outstanding filmmaking quality, precise direction and ability to transform a tragic sporting event into an intense dramatic story.

“I am deeply honoured that Heysel 85 has received the Grand Prix at SPORTFILM Festival Liberec. This recognition feels especially meaningful coming from a festival devoted to the meeting of cinema and sport. Our film is not a conventional football film, but an existential reflection on responsibility, institutional failure and the human cost of silence. I am profoundly grateful to the jury and the festival, and I share this award with our entire cast, crew and producers. Above all, I would like to remember the 39 people who lost their lives at Heysel and everyone whose life was forever changed by the tragedy,” said director Teodora Any Mihai, expressing her gratitude for the award.

This year’s edition offered exceptionally strong international competition. A total of 490 films from 94 countries were submitted to the competition, from which the jury selected the awarded films in six competition categories. “This year’s edition once again showed that the best sports films are not just about results, medals and victories. Above all, they are about people, their decisions, courage, failures and ability to overcome life’s obstacles. According to the jury, HEYSEL 85 managed to use a powerful film story to open up a subject that goes far beyond football itself. I am very pleased that the main prize went to a film with such a strong social and human dimension,” explained SPORTFILM director Renata Balašová.

In the Olympic Ideas category, the Polish documentary NOJI. THE INTERRUPTED RUN by director Krzysztof Baranowski won. It recalls the fate of Polish runner and Olympian Józef Noji, a participant in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, who joined the resistance during World War II. The jury was impressed by the story of an athlete whose life, in its view, embodies Olympic values far beyond sporting achievement itself.

The award for Best Documentary went to the Mexican film VOICES FROM THE ABYSS by directors Irving Serrano and Víctor Rejón. The film takes viewers among the cliff divers of La Quebrada in Acapulco, for whom extreme diving is not only a sport but also a profession and a family tradition. The jury particularly appreciated its authorial concept, visual impact and broader human and cultural dimension.

The award in the Sports Personalities category went to the Czech series BIG PETE directed by Michal Fencl. In it, Petr Čech presents prominent figures from world football through personal interviews. According to the jury, thanks to the trust between Čech and his guests, the series goes beyond the framework of a classic sports interview and presents well-known personalities in a more personal and human way.

In the Feature Films and Series category, the French-Belgian film INTO THE BLUE (POUR LE MEILLEUR) directed by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar took the prize. Inspired by the true story of Philippe Croizon, the film tells the story of a man who, after losing all four limbs, searches for the meaning of life and decides to swim across the English Channel.

“It is important that such different stories come together among this year’s award-winning films – from the historical fate of an Olympian through Mexican cliff divers and world football to para ice hockey and domestic violence. I believe this diversity shows just how broad the space for sports film is today. In these films, sport is often merely a gateway to much deeper themes,” explained director Adolf Zika, who won the festival prize last year with his film Jemný rváč. This year, he also served as a member of the jury.

The Society and Education category recognized the Spanish short fiction film BIRDS directed by Fran Expósito. The story of a young athlete, Álvaro, connects sport with adolescence, a family environment marked by domestic violence, trauma and the search for one’s own identity. The jury appreciated the film’s ability to use the sporting environment to address serious social issues.

In the Czech Scene category, INVINCIBLES directed by Dan Pánek won. The feature drama inspired by Czech para ice hockey connects several human stories and presents sport as a path to renewed self-confidence, relationships and a sense of purpose in life. The jury praised its professional execution, direction, cinematography and editing, as well as the authentic connection between the fictional story and the world of para ice hockey.

Honourable Mentions, the Festival Director’s Award and the Věra Čáslavská Ray of Courage and Hope

The jury also awarded three honourable mentions. The first went to the Czech documentary series GODDESSES OF SLAVIA by directors Tomáš Klein and Linda Kallistová Jablonská. The series follows players of Prague’s Slavia not only on the pitch but also in their personal lives, addressing themes of motherhood, relationships, career decisions and the conditions of women’s professional sport.

The second honourable mention goes to Uganda for the film SLUM BOMBER directed by Maureen Nankya. The feature film inspired by the life of Ugandan boxer Julie Aloyo connects her sporting journey with themes of poverty, family responsibility, the position of women and personal emancipation.

The third honourable mention went to the documentary CHASING THE GLORY, which follows American basketball player Nigel Hayes-Davis during his time at Fenerbahçe. His goal is to win the EuroLeague and become its MVP, but behind his sporting ambitions, the pressure, doubts and psychological exhaustion of an elite athlete gradually emerge.

The special Věra Čáslavská Ray of Courage and Hope Award, which recognizes personalities whose lives, attitudes and actions extend beyond the boundaries of sport, was awarded this year to the Casa Hogar project. This Mexican project providing care for orphaned and disadvantaged children was founded in 1986 on the initiative of the Belgian national football team during the World Cup and developed into an independent non-profit organization that has been operating for 40 years.

The Festival Director’s Award was presented by Renata Balašová to the documentary ALBERTO TOMBA: WINNING UPHILL directed by Tommaso Deboni. The biographical film presents the legendary Italian skier not only as an elite athlete, but also as a distinctive personality whose temperament and charisma transcended the boundaries of alpine skiing.

“Alberto Tomba is exactly the kind of personality who shows that a sports legend is not created only by the number of victories. It is also about charisma, individuality and the ability to leave a mark on the people who follow sport. That is why I wanted to recognize this film with the Festival Director’s Award,” added Balašová.

SPORTFILM continues after the festival

The five-day festival took place from 30 September to 4 October 2026 in Prague, Liberec, Vratislavice nad Nisou and Jablonec nad Nisou. The programme offered dozens of screenings, discussions, exhibitions and other events. One of the programme’s highlights was the winning film HEYSEL 85, screened on 2 October in Vratislavice. It was introduced by journalist and writer Radek John, whose screenplay was used for the 1987 film WHY?, which dealt with a similar theme of unrest connected with the behaviour of sports fans.

This year, too, a number of sports and cultural personalities supported the festival with their participation. They included judoka and Olympic champion Lukáš Krpálek, mountaineer Marek Holeček, snowboarder and Olympic champion Zuzana Maděrová, director and former judoka Adolf Zika, Wimbledon champion Jan Kodeš, ski coach Tomáš Bank, EURO 96 silver medallists Pavel Kuka and Ladislav Maier, actors and filmmakers Tomáš Havlínek, Jindřiška Hanušová, Dan Pánek and many others.

The festival does not end with this year’s edition. This year, the Festival Echoes will travel to a record 17 one-day stops across the Czech Republic and, for the first time, also to Warsaw, Poland. Selected films will also appear on Prima Sport throughout the year.

The awarded films will also advance to the FICTS World Challenge World Final in Milan, where they will represent the festival in international competition.

“For us, the closing evening was also the beginning of another stage. The awarded films will live on – at the World Final in Milan, at the Festival Echoes and with further audiences. And that is precisely what SPORTFILM means to me: ensuring that strong stories do not remain in the programme for just a few days, but reach as many people as possible,” concluded Renata Balašová.

Winners of the 29th edition of SPORTFILM LIBEREC

Festival Grand Prize:
HEYSEL 85 – Teodora Ana Mihai, Belgium/Netherlands/Germany

Olympic Ideas:
NOJI. THE INTERRUPTED RUN – Krzysztof Baranowski, Poland

Documentaries:
VOICES FROM THE ABYSS – Irving Serrano, Víctor Rejón, Mexico

Sports Personalities:
BIG PETE – Michal Fencl, Czech Republic

Feature Films and Series:
INTO THE BLUE (POUR LE MEILLEUR) – Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, France/Belgium

Society and Education:
BIRDS – Fran Expósito, Spain

Czech Scene:
INVINCIBLES – Dan Pánek, Czech Republic/Slovakia

Jury Honourable Mention:
GODDESSES OF SLAVIA – Tomáš Klein, Linda Kallistová Jablonská, Czech Republic

Jury Honourable Mention:
SLUM BOMBER – Maureen Nankya, Uganda

Jury Honourable Mention:
CHASING THE GLORY – documentary about Nigel Hayes-Davis

Věra Čáslavská Ray of Courage and Hope:
CASA HOGAR project – Belgian national football team at the 1986 World Cup

Festival Director’s Award:
ALBERTO TOMBA: WINNING UPHILL – Tommaso Deboni, Italy