CPFF 2025
The Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) 2025 will kick off their 17th year with a gala event at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario on Friday, November 21st and will feature the CSFF 2025 top-ranked film, “Champions of the Golden Valley". In addition to the film's screening, the evening will also include a question-and-answer session moderated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)'s Scott Russell as well as an opportunity to enjoy a wine-and-cheese reception in the Founders Lounge located at TIFF Lightbox. The film's producer Baktash Ahadi will also be in attendance.
Use the following link for quick access to more details and festival tickets: https://am.ticketmaster.com/tiff/buy/2025CSFF
Additional CSFF Film Screening Locations
In addition to the featured event at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, four subsequent screenings will include four additional CSFF top-rated films that will take place over the following months in partnership with community organizations across Canada. Currently, the Towns of Collingwood and The Blue Mountains were chosen for the first additional screenings of CSFF 2025 where the Opening Night film "Champions of the Golden Valley" will be screened.
Dates are currently to be confirmed for late November and early December with local ski clubs and community groups for these particular events.
New Ticket Options
This year, there will be a three-tier ticket option:
- $75 VIP Tickets (pre-screening meet & greet/refreshments with Baktash Ahadi and Q&A panel, screening and post screening reception-25 max)
- $55 Event Tickets (screening and reception-100 max)
- $20 Regular Tickets (screening only-100)
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, October 29th and can be purchased through the CSFF website: sportfilmfestival.ca .
Champions of the Golden Valley
After narrowly missing his chance to become Afghanistan's first Olympic skier, Alishah Farhang returns to the remote mountains of his homeland to inspire a vibrant new ski culture. Bringing together young athletes from rival villages with makeshift wooden skis and secondhand gear, he organizes a ski race like no other, uniting his community in a rare moment of hope and triumph. When their world is suddenly upended, he and the athletes must call upon those lessons learned on the slopes to find their way forward. Revealing a stunning unseen side of Afghanistan, the film is a captivating and uplifting story about how champions can be made by more than Olympic medals.
Since its Tribeca premiere, the film has garnered more than twenty Jury Prizes and Audience Awards on the North American festival circuit, including Jury Prize for Best Documentary at SCAD Savannah Film Festival and Overall Audience Award at Heartland Film Festival. Ideally the film would be released by December 2025 to coincide with the XXV Olympic Winter Games (Milano-Cortina) in February 2026.
Watch a clip from Champions of the Golden Valley:
About Baktash Ahadi
His award-winning films have been showcased at notable festivals such as Tribeca, SXSW, Telluride, Toronto Film Festival (TIFF), and DOC NYC, collecting multiple Jury and Audience Awards, Peabody Awards, and multiple Emmys. Two of his films have also made it onto the Oscars shortlist, underscoring his dedication to creating work that resonates deeply with audiences around the globe.
A former refugee, humanitarian, and interpreter, Baktash draws on his cross-cultural experiences to foster empathy, open dialogue, and meaningful storytelling. He writes, speaks, and teaches regularly on individual, organizational, and societal change, driven by the belief that understanding one another’s stories can transform how we see the world—and ourselves.
About CSFF
CSFF is a non-profit organization with a mission to provoke dialogue on the power of sport to inspire social change by sharing powerful personal and political stories to educate, engage, and entertain communities and audiences throughout Canada. The CSFF hosts an annual festival at TIFF Lightbox (November) and reaches national audiences through our digital platform and curated experiences in communities throughout the year.
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