Five Summer Stories

Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. This first half of her two-part film opens with a renowned introduction that compares modern Olympians to classical Greek heroes, then goes on to provide thrilling in-the-moment coverage of some of the games' most celebrated moments, including African-American athlete Jesse Owens winning a then-unprecedented four gold medals.

Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. Where the two-part epic's first half, Festival of the Nations, focused on the international aspects of the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, part two, The Festival of Beauty, concentrates on individual athletes such as equestrians, gymnasts, and swimmers, climaxing with American Glenn Morris' performance in the decathalon and the games' majestic closing ceremonies.

It’s the channel that’s not on your television, you need to go out into nature to tune into this frequency.

Details the intense rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche in the 90’s

This documentary follows the French soccer team on their way to victory in the 1998 World Cup in France. Stéphane Meunier spent the whole time filming the players, the coach and some other important characters of this victory, giving us a very intimate and nice view of them, as if we were with them.

An experimental sports film made partly during the Scandinavian Open Championships in Halmstad in 1970, partly during the Chinese players' exhibition tour in Denmark immediately after the SOC. First of all, it is a film about their style, about the artistic culmination that is ping-pong at its best, it records China's comeback into the international sports world.

Summer 2024, a TSW story

Stand takes viewers on a journey through the waters of British Columbia's west coast. Under threat by the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and tanker route is a coastline of immense beauty, pristine ecosystems, and a way of life rich in culture and history. Through the efforts of expedition stand-up paddler Norm Hann, an aboriginal high school class building their own stand-up paddleboards as a form of protest, and the powerful surfing of iconic west coast native Raph Bruhwiler, the diversity of people, landscape and wildlife that would be affected by an oil spill is articulated. Stand takes you to the core of the issue and unfurls the soul of B.C.'s west coast one paddle stroke at a time.

A documentary on Argentinean soccer star Diego Maradona, regarded by many as the world's greatest modern player.

Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the famed Red Army hockey team formed a joint venture that redefined what was possible in the new Russia. Eccentric marketing whiz, Steve Warshaw, is sent to Moscow and tasked to transform the team into the greatest show in Russia, attracting some of the biggest names in Hollywood and advertising along the way. He takes the viewer on a bizarre journey highlighting a pivotal moment in U.S.-Russian relations during a lawless era when oligarchs made their fortunes and multiple murders went unsolved.

David Asmmann's Football Under Cover documents the hard work involved in setting up an exhibition soccer match, known as a "friendly," between a German girls squad and Iranian women's team. In addition to showing how the two groups come from very different cultures, the documentary showcases what playing the game means to the members of both teams, and displays how passionate the fans of these two squads are.

More than twenty sports journalists – working mainly on television (BeIN Sports, RMC Sport, France Télévisions, Canal+, TF1) but not only (L'Équipe, Radio France) – testify to the anger, despondency and helplessness they felt when they had to endure the “Yucky jokes”, the « culture de boy’s club » and degrading insults on social networks, while at the same time the presence of women in these programs and in the press has increased. Without forgetting the misogynistic comments, the heaps of small sentences on the physique or the competence, the sexual innuendos… until the moral or sexual harassment.

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

A documentary of the German national soccer team’s 2006 World Cup experience that changed the face of modern Germany.

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

Kipchoge: The Last Milestone follows record-breaking marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge's journey to becoming the first person in history to run a marathon in under two hours.

Born Strong is the story of the four strongest men on the planet. Each year, the Arnold Strongman Classic crowns the winner in the purest test of strength on the planet. This year’s Arnolds are unique with each of these four weighing more than 400 pounds. Lithuanian Zydrunas Savickas, 40, is the acknowledged Strongest Man Ever, who may have passed his prime. American Brian Shaw is the defending champion, a 6’8’, 425-pound giant who seems poised to take the crown. England’s Eddie Hall is “the hungry wolf, ” knocking on the door. “I’ll do anything, ” he says. “I’ll die, if I have to. ” Finally, there’s Icelander Hafthor Bjornsson, who plays the Mountain on Game of Thrones. He’s the youngest of the group, but with perhaps the greatest potential. “It’s great to see these Monsters, ” says Arnold Schwarzenegger, the host of the competition and a former bodybuilding champion. Born Strong revels in the drama when these remarkable giants clash.

They're called water carriers, domestics, 'gregarios', 'Sancho Panzas' of professional cycling. Always at the back of the group, with no right for a personal victory. These wonderful losers are the true warriors of professional cycling.

Year after year hundreds of thousands of fans line the route of the Tour de France, cheering on their heroes and willing them to victory, while millions of viewers worldwide tune in on their televisions. Academy Award-winning director Pepe Danquart, fascinated by the spectacle of the three week race, chose to focus on the courage, the pain and the fear of the riders of the Tour. Training his lens on German superstar sprinter Eric Zabel and his loyal domestique Rolf Aldag, Danquart captures the thrill of the race and the teamwork behind the stars of the peleton. He also shines light on the Tour's supporting cast - the director sportifs, masseurs, and, of course, the wildly enthusiastic fans. Reveling in the stunning landscape - from the Alps to the Pyrenees to the Massif Central to Paris - and with a nice dollop of Le Tour's history, HELL ON WHEELS transcends the sport it celebrates to reveal an astonishing human endeavor.

The United Way is the legendary story of one of the most iconic sports teams in the world, Manchester United, from their humblest of beginnings to a behemoth with over 650 million supporters worldwide. Presented by Eric Cantona and featuring Charlton, Best, Cantona, Beckham, and Ronaldo, alongside stunning archival and never-before-seen footage, The United Way celebrates the global phenomenon of a unifying club for the people, by the people.