The inaugural U.S. Sports Film Festival, the most comprehensive sports film festival in United States history, today announced the first series of nine films selected to be screened during the three-day run from October 23-26.

The festival will debut the Mixed Martial Arts documentary “Renzo Gracie: Legacy,” the life story of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master and the American patriarch of one of the world’s fastest rising sports, as well as “Kassim The Dream,” the story of Ugandan-born boxing world champion Kassim Ouma, a kidnapped child soldier and his struggles to break free and regain his life as a professional athlete, will lead the fight films track for the festival.

“Philadelphia is a city whose fans and teams are always battling for recognition, and we felt that the city that gave us ‘Rocky’ and Smokin’ Joe Frazier would really take to a track of new films on MMA and boxing. These two are certainly amongst the most compelling,” said festival founder and president Stephan Hartman. “Given MMA’s rising popularity worldwide and its recent approval for competition in the state of Pennsylvania, the debut of the life story of such a living legend as Renzo Gracie was a perfect fit. We also think the story of Kassim Ouma, both as an athlete and a person, is one that fans will really be blown away by. It is our pleasure to lead our first series of festival announcements with these two amazing life stories of two incredible fighters.”

Other critically-acclaimed films slated to run at the USSFF include “Kickin It,” the Ted Leonsis-produced film about a team of homeless soccer players and their life stories and successes on the pitch; “Run For Your Life,” the true-life story of the man who created the New York City Marathon, Fred Lebow; and “Basketball in the Barrio,” the story of two former University of Texas El Paso basketball players who started a program teaching basketball to the impoverished immigrant children of South El Paso, and the stories of those who used basketball as a tool for fulfillment.

Each film will include a series of events involving the stars and makers of the films, who will be on hand to discuss all the elements that went into making these landmarks. Already, nearly 100 films have been submitted for review ranging from the traditional sports to Mixed Martial Arts, Extreme Endurance Racing and even Pin Trading. The remaining list of 10 films, many to be seen on a big screen for the first time, will be released in the coming weeks.

Additionally, the first 10 films also include a series of classic films by director Mark Ciardi, including “Invincible,” “Miracle,” and “The Rookie

Sponsors and media partners for the U.S. Sports Film Festival include: IZOD Fragrance for Men, Intraware, Barefoot Wine, KYW NewsRadio 1060, 610WIP Sports Radio, Greater Philadelphia Film Office, Philadelphia Sports Congress, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., City of Philadelphia, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Soul.

To obtain tickets to the U.S. Sports Film Festival go to www.ussportsfilmfestival.com or call (646) 233-2033. For Sponsorship information please call (212) 752-2500.