Big Star: The Nick Skelton Story

Director:

Sarah George

Producer(s):

Sarah George / Chris Uettwiller / Debbie Burrows / Martin Desmond Roe / Nick Frew

Footage Archive Researcher:

Kyle Jackson

Footage Archive Producer:

Archival Ninjas / Meghan Geier / Kaelin McDonald

Archival Sources:

BBC / BBC Sport / USOPC / Spruce Meadows / FEI / Equestrian Vision

Production Company:

Debsdocs Productions / Dirty Robber

Country of Production:

United States

Original Release:

2025

Synopsis

Crashing into the British showjumping scene during the heyday of the sport in the 1970s, Nick Skelton dominates the competition until he breaks his neck in an unlucky fall. Doctors tell him to quit riding, but he makes an against-all-odds comeback. When his genius horse, Big Star, suffers what appears to be a career-ending injury Nick refuses to give up his trusted partner. Together they pursue his elusive dream of winning an individual gold medal at the Rio Olympic Games.

Diamond Diplomacy

Director:

Yuriko Gamo Romer

Producer(s):

Yuriko Gamo Romer / Marc Smolowitz / Loi Ameera Almeron

Footage Archive Researcher:

Yuriko Romer / Ken Schneider / Loi Ameera Almeron / Michaelle McGaraghan

Footage Archive Producer:

Megumi Nishikura

Archival Sources:

Major League Baseball / Getty Images / Nisei Baseball Research Project / National Archives / Con Dempsey Collection, courtesy of Dave Dempsey

Production Company:

Flying Carp Productions

Country of Production:

United States

Original Release:

2025

Synopsis

Diamond Diplomacy traces the long, complex relationship between Japan and the United States through their shared passion for baseball, from 1872 to today. The film opens with American and Japanese children preparing for games, followed by a montage of baseball cards and Babe Ruth thrilling Japanese fans with a home run. 153 years of baseball becomes a cultural bridge between the two nations despite tensions rooted in isolationism, racism, war, and shifting global politics.

Introduced during the Meiji period by Horace Wilson, baseball quickly takes hold in Japan. Babe Ruth’s 1934 tour further ignites enthusiasm and softens anti-American sentiment. During World War II, while Japanese Americans are unjustly incarcerated, Kenichi Zenimura builds a baseball field in the Gila River camp, keeping the sport alive behind barbed wire. After the war, General Douglas MacArthur brings the San Francisco Seals to Japan to help repair relations.

1964, Masanori Murakami becomes the first Japanese Major Leaguer, but it is short-lived due to contractual disputes and exchanges halt until 1995, when Hideo Nomo’s signing with the Dodgers reopens the pipeline for stars like Hideki Matsui, Ichiro Suzuki, and Shohei Ohtani. Blending history and personal stories, Diamond Diplomacy shows how baseball fosters connection across cultures.

Iománaíocht Hollywood (Hollywood Hurling)

Director:

Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín

Producer(s):

Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín / Seán Crosson

Footage Archive Producer:

Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín / Seán Crosson

Archival Sources:

Irish Film Archive / Warner Bros / RTÉ / ITV Source / Paramount

Production Company:

Léirithe le Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín

Country of Production:

Ireland

Original Release:

2025

Synopsis

This captivating two-part series for TG4 provides a unique insight into the cinematic portrayal of Ireland and indigenous Gaelic games from the early 1900s to the present. It explores the evolution of Irish identity on screen, from major Hollywood productions—including the seminal work of John Ford—to the birth of a distinct indigenous film culture.

The series has earned high praise from national critics, with The Irish Times noting it as a "fascinating and deep dive" into the archives, while the Irish Independent hailed it as a "superb" exploration of how the GAA helped define the nation’s "reel image."

Produced by Léirithe le Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín and funded by Coimisiún na Meán and TG4, the series is based on Seán Crosson’s award-winning book, Gaelic Games on Film. It features stunning archival footage alongside insights from leading figures like Professors Paul Rouse and Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh, and filmmaker Bob Quinn. Dedicated to the late Dublin GAA legend Jimmy Gray, the series offers an evocative perspective on how Ireland’s national games fueled the development of its national cinema, serving as a vital record of the intersection between sport, culture, and the moving image.

Nothing But a Winner: The Alabama Football Story

Director:

Jimmy Jenkins

Producer(s):

Seth Carter / Steph Higgins Carter / Caleb Castille / Marlon Humphrey / David Jacobson / Darnell Lee / RJ Moeller / Brenda Robinson / Will Ward

Footage Archive Producer:

Archival Ninjas / Jennifer Grace Cook / Marc Rosenzweig / Meghan Geier

Archival Sources:

Catapult Sports / Alabama Department of History and Archives / Getty Images / Pond5 / Alamy

Production Company:

Adelaide Pictures / BarFaye Productions / Required Reading / Source Media

Country of Production:

United States

Original Release:

2025

Synopsis

Nothing But a Winner chronicles the University of Alabama's football dynasty under coaches Bear Bryant and Nick Saban, highlighting Bear Bryant’s efforts to integrate Alabama's football team despite opposition from the state of Alabama’s governor, George Wallace.

Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire

Director:

Andy R. Worboys

Producer(s):

George Grafton

Footage Archive Producer:

Miriam Walsh

Archival Sources:

SWpix / Barry Wilkinson / BBC Archives / Guzelian Ltd / Yorkshire Film Archive / Bradford Telegraph and Argus

Production Company:

ACME

Country of Production:

United Kingdom

Original Release:

2025

Synopsis

When Bradford City met Lincoln City in May 1985 for the final game of the season, everyone remembers the carnival atmosphere as the city celebrated a dramatic comeback, with one of its best seasons ever. With Bradford’s spot at the top of the league secure, promotion was in the bag.

But what happened at the end of a goal-less first half was the stuff of nightmares. A fire, believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette or match, engulfed one of the old wooden stands and 56 lives were lost in one of the worst disasters in footballing history.

And then, over the next four decades, the story of one of the world’s biggest ever sporting disasters faded quietly away.

Marking the 40th anniversary of the event, that story is remembered and its victims and survivors commemorated in this powerful record of a forgotten tragedy. Combining extraordinary access to survivors, the bereaved, emergency services and unseen archive, this film is a celebration of community, resilience and collective memory through the stories of those who experienced the tragedy, and those who were called upon to deal with the aftermath.