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The Athletic Coup film festival announces it's selection. 

This film festival puts amateur athletes in the spotlight

The Athletic Coup invites us on a journey of physical excellence that requires no competition, just a willingness to explore what our bodies are capable of. The festival's films highlight the many faces and forms of physical activity. Far beyond the "perfect" professional athlete or team, the films look at individual and community sports that support people's lives and help them overcome adversity.

What began as a passion project to promote physical activity for mental health has now become a wealth of stories submitted from around the world of hardships overcome and communities created through team and individual sports, mainstream and niche.

The event is dedicated to promoting the idea that sport is not just the domain of professionals, but an inclusive endeavor for all. Filmmakers tell stories of challenges overcome, communities united and passions ignited, encouraging audiences to explore new dimensions of physical activity.

From the selected submissions:

Meet Sebastien Bellin from the documentary Rebound. Sebastien Bellin, a former professional basketball player, is on his way to New York, departing from Brussels Airport. As he is getting his boarding pass, a bomb goes off in the Brussels airport. As he runs towards security, a second bomb explodes a few meters away. Bellin nearly died in a terrorist attack on March 22, 2016. With some luck and help, he survived and kept his legs after 13 operations. 6 years later he finishes the Ironman Triatlon of Hawaii.

In the short freeride ski documentary Svaneti - The Hidden Paradise the viewer can explore the untouched faces of Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains and experience the culture and traditions of the Svaneti region.

The feature film THE ZOO (Chidiakhana) stars India's popular young actor Ritvik Sahore as a young football talent fighting for a community sports field in the slums of Mumbai. Chidiakhana is a heartwarming sports drama with a touch of magical realism.

In the documentary ULTIMATE CITIZENS, we meet mental health advocate Jamshid, an Iranian who came to America to study in the 1970s and never returned because of the revolution. As a counselor in Seattle Public Schools, Jamshid's best work takes place outside the building and on the playground with "his kids," the children of refugees and immigrants. Their parents are in the grip of their own struggles to make a living and a home in a strange land. Mr. Jamshid is the charismatic, fiery, funny man with a Frisbee in hand who is the first to show that "love wins" on the field, off the field, at home with the family, or courageously building a new community in a new country - one child, one chicken, one extreme mile, and one friend at a time.

Not only does Jamshid use sport (Ultimate Frisbee) to promote mental health in the children he works with as a school counselor, he has also embarked on a journey of sport himself as a means of dealing with the difficult stories of the children he works with. What started with a swim in the lake became a journey of winning competitions in various solo sports.

The Athletic Coup will premiere in May 2024 in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of athletic excellence. Filmmakers are still eligible to submit their films. The Athletic Coup will launch a streaming platform to coincide with the premiere of the festival. We hope you'll be as inspired to find your sport as we were.

See selected film submissions at coupfilmfest.com/submissions