Shade Studios launches Dynasty, the World’s First Sports Film Festival

A new festival uniting top athletes with leading cinematic storytellers and digital native creators

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, July 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Shade Studios launches Dynasty, the World’s First Sports Film Festival

A new festival uniting top athletes with leading cinematic storytellers and digital native creators

EVENT SET FOR OCTOBER 22-25 IN SOUTH BEND, IN
Registration opens today at Dynasty Sports Film Festival

NEW YORK, NY, July 20, 2026 -- Shade Studios, a leading digital-first native media company announced today the launch of the sports film festival, Dynasty (the “Festival”). The inaugural, multi-day event will blend exciting new projects from emerging filmmakers, athlete and celebrity panels and podcasts, anniversary screenings of iconic sports films in American cinema and fan-first experiences. Dynasty will take place from October 22-25, 2026 in South Bend, IN.

Dynasty is the first film festival honoring the convergence of the athletic spirit and cinematic storytelling. It is also the first festival to openly embrace content in competition from the next generation of digital native creators on social platforms. Dynasty will have competitive categories, judged by juries to be announced later. Television and episodic shows are accepted but will screen out of competition. Awards will be given in these categories:

Narrative Feature for sports-driven full-length films

Feature Documentary featuring sport and sports culture

Short Film - All formats between 5-40 minutes

Brand Film - Agency and Commercial, any length

Social & Digital - Creator Social and Digital Content, long and short-form accepted

Student Film - Current student (all formats)

Submissions are open starting today on Film Freeway.

The iconic setting of South Bend, IN is a fitting home for a festival that values the triumph of the human spirit as embodied in the beloved film Rudy, a staple of American sports cinema filmed at The University of Notre Dame nearby. Leaning on the region’s strong athletic tradition, Dynasty aims to provide a memorable experience to fans across the country, starting with the local community. Dynasty is being hosted in partnership with Visit South Bend Mishawaka, Downtown South Bend and the Momentum Entrepreneurship Hub.

Supporting Dynasty is the Content and Production division at Octagon, a global sports marketing leader. To demonstrate Dynasty’s commitment to encouraging the development of a student athletes’ personal brands to support their future success, Octagon and Dynasty have been working with RALLY, the Notre Dame marketing and production services team, to procure local talent for festival activities. In addition, the hosts plan to develop a long-term partnership with a collective of filmmaking programs across the region’s many universities.

Content from the Festival, including exclusive podcasts, interview and Q&A panels will live exclusively on ShadeTV’s YouTube channel, the official digital home of the Dynasty Sports Film Festival.

Marissa Hill, President and Co-Founder of Shade Studios added: “As a collegiate athlete who also built a career as a digital creator and film critic, I’ve watched sports and cinematic storytelling increasingly converge. Dynasty is my attempt to create a dedicated space where those worlds can meet and flourish. A world where athletes and filmmakers collaborate, and where digital native creators are respected as serious talents with meaningful ideas to contribute to the cinematic discourse.”

“South Bend is excited to host the inaugural Dynasty Film Festival and welcome athletes, filmmakers, and storytellers to our community,” said Kristopher Priemer, President of Priemer Consulting in South Bend. “At its best, sports transcend competition and become a powerful form of cultural storytelling. Dynasty offers a distinctive platform to explore that intersection, bringing together athletes who have lived extraordinary narratives with filmmakers who know how to shape them for the screen. South Bend is a perfect place for this kind of event, and we’re proud to partner on the conversations, connections, and creative energy it will spark.”

For more information on programming and to register for tickets, visit Dynasty Sports Film Festival


Dynasty on Social Channels

Instagram
X
Facebook
ShadeTV – YouTube
ShadeTV – TikTok
ShadeTV - Snapchat

Inquiries

Shade Studios
press@shadestudios.com

Octagon
alex.rozis@omc.com

Dynasty Sports Film Festival
Media, requests and press accreditation
info@dynastysportsfilmfestival.com

Alfred Castaneda
Shade Studios
press@shadestudios.com
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
X
Other

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.