The grand prize of the 29th edition of the international film festival Sportfilm in Liberec was awarded on 3 October 2026 to the film Heysel 85, a drama by the Belgian-Dutch-German director Teodora Ana Mihai [1]. The film revisits the 1985 tragedy at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, in which 39 people died before the European football cup final between Liverpool and Juventus Turin [1].
The winning film
The director said the film was not a classic football story. In her words, the work is "a story about responsibility, institutional failure and the human cost of silence" [1]. She added that the film commemorates the 39 who died as well as everyone whose life was changed by the tragedy [1]. Festival director Renata Balašová said of the film that it "opened up a theme that goes beyond football itself" [1].
Other awards
In the Olympic Ideals category, the winner was the Polish documentary Noji: An Interrupted Run, about the runner and Olympian Józef Noji, who joined the resistance during the Second World War [1]. The best documentary award went to the Mexican film Voices from the Abyss, about the cliff divers of La Quebrada in Acapulco [1]. In the Sports Personalities category, the Czech series Big Pete was successful, in which former football goalkeeper Petr Čech interviews figures from world football [1].
The award in the Feature Films and Series category went to the French-Belgian film Keeping You Afloat, inspired by the story of Philippe Croizon, who swam across the English Channel after losing all four limbs [1]. In the Czech Scene category, the winner was Invincible by director Dan Pánek, a drama inspired by Czech para ice hockey [1]. The award in the Society and Education category went to the Spanish short feature Birds, about a young athlete whose life is affected by domestic violence [1].
The jury also awarded three honorable mentions: to the Czech documentary series Goddesses of Slavia, the Ugandan film Slum Bomber, inspired by the life of boxer Julie Aloyo, and the documentary Hunger for Glory, about American basketball player Nigel Hayes-Davis [1]. The special Ray of Courage and Hope of Věra Čáslavská prize went to the Mexican project Casa Hogar, which has been caring for orphaned and disadvantaged children since 1986 [1]. The festival director's award went to the documentary Alberto Tomba: The Winner's Path, whose main subject, according to organizers, did not attend the screening [1].
The festival
The 29th edition received 490 entries from 94 countries, from which the jury selected winners in six competitive categories [1]. The festival ran from 30 September 2026 in Prague, Liberec, Vratislavice nad Nisou and Jablonec nad Nisou, and included dozens of screenings, discussions and exhibitions [1]. The organizers announced the results on the evening of Saturday 3 October 2026 in Liberec, and the festival concluded on 4 October 2026 [1]. The award-winning films advance to the FICTS World Challenge world final in Milan [1]. The festival is to continue with 17 one-day festival echoes around the Czech Republic, and for the first time also in Warsaw [1].
Related articles: Liberec, Sportfilm
Chronology
- — The main prize of the 29th Sportfilm international film festival in Liberec went to the film Heysel 85, about the 1985 tragedy at a stadium in Brussels. Liberecká Drbna
Sources
- Liberecká Drbna (ČTK) — 4 October 2026