South Bend hosts inaugural Dynasty Sports Film Festival

On Thursday, October 22, South Bend’s Century Center kicked off the first-ever Dynasty Sports Film Festival with a premiere of the Notre Dame-centered documentary “Lou Holtz: 60 Minutes to Play and a Lifetime to Remember.”

In many ways, this film festival is the first of its kind. Organized by online creators and focused entirely on sports films, it signals a new trend in filmmaking and the events that showcase the art.

Co-creator of the film festival and executive producer with Shade Studios, Marissa Hill, spoke further about the innovation involved with the festival.

“There are definitely opportunities to reward creators for the type of content that they produce, but they’re very separate at a lot of these film festivals,” Hill said. “Even when they’re trying to incorporate it as its own thing, you can still sense that tension. For us, we really just want to fit them in organically and make it feel like they’re a part of the festival, just like any other person who’s producing films for us.”

“Lou Holtz: 60 Minutes to Play and a Lifetime to Remember” premiered in the Bendix Arena following brief announcements and thanks from Hill to the event’s sponsors.

A cinema vérité-style documentary, the film follows the story of the 2009 Tokyo Bowl, the last game ever coached by Lou Holtz. Holtz served as head coach of Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996. While coaching Notre Dame, he accrued 100 wins and led the team to a national championship. His work as a coach revolutionized the team and the legacy of Notre Dame football.

Ted Mandell, the film’s director, is an associate teaching professor of film production with the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television and Theatre. In 2009, he accompanied the Notre Dame Legends team from South Bend to the Tokyo Bowl to document their journey.

“I put together kind of a highlight package that we used for the kind of review of the Notre Dame-Japan Bowl,” Mandell said. “When he passed, I went back and looked and realized that that was actually the last game he ever coached. At that point, I was like, ‘Well, this is historically very important footage.’”

The 2009 Notre Dame Legends team included alumni who had played across many different years. Each one had a special connection to the team and saw the experience in a unique way.

Chris Zorich, a former Notre Dame linebacker, spoke about his experience as a coach on the trip.

“They came up with this kind of crazy idea of getting alumni players to play against the Japanese national team, and I was on staff at Notre Dame. Coach Holtz asked me if I wanted to coach the defensive line,” Zorich said. “I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ I had no idea how serious it was gonna be. I thought it was just gonna be a free trip to Japan, but we actually put in a lot of work. It wound up being a really great experience.”

Another player, Kris Haines, a former Notre Dame wide receiver, participated as one of the oldest alumni, in his 50s when the group traveled to Japan. As an older player, he had not played under Holtz while in college, but his experience with Holtz shaped how he approaches coaching today.

“In practice, Lou yelled at me quite a bit, and I was like ‘Man, I’m 53, give me a break.’ One day, he pulled me aside and said ‘Kris, can you walk with me?’ He said, ‘I want to tell you something—always make sure your students or players know this. When I get on you or correct you, it’s never personal, because I love you. It’s always about the performance,’” Haines said. “It stayed with me, and it’s helped me a lot over the years.”

Reggie Brooks, who played under Holtz as a defensive back before becoming a tailback in college, spoke further about Holtz’s impact on him as a player.

“He was more than just a coach. He was a mentor—somebody you could always reach out to and count on. You could call him up if you needed anything,” Brooks said. “One thing that he would always say to the guys was ‘If you give me four years, I’ll give you 40.’”

The documentary highlighted these aspects of Holtz as a coach, shifting between discipline and camaraderie with his players from scene to scene. It portrayed a man dedicated to the game.

A brief Q&A followed the film, featuring Brooks, Mandell, Haines and Zorich as panelists.

Holtz’s legacy was commemorated not only by the film but also by local artists whose work was displayed outside the venue.

Jared Basker, a Notre Dame artist and South Bend native, works to capture picturesque scenes of the Notre Dame campus as well as action shots of players on the field. His range of material offers a look at what the city has to offer.

“I just hope that people can really enjoy the Notre Dame spirit. I also hope my work keeps them fired up throughout the football season,” Basker said. “If my art can bring appreciation to somebody’s life, that’s what it’s all about.”

Kathleen Keifer, a Notre Dame alumna and painter, also had her work displayed, featuring portraits of both Holtz and Notre Dame players. A third-generation Notre Dame alumna, her understanding of the school runs deep. In recent years, she has worked with many students, football players and coaches to share her work with the community.

Her husband, Jim Keifer, spoke about her ability to portray her subjects.

“With Kathleen’s work, she really catches the spirit of what something’s about. It’s not just ‘What do they look like?’ It’s also about ‘How do they feel,’” Keifer said. “She does that so well with her use of color and brushwork.”

While South Bend lies outside the scope of larger film festival locations, such as Chicago or Indianapolis, Hill sought out South Bend after visiting the local entrepreneurial conference IDEA Week in 2025. She found herself struck by the athletic culture and history found in the city.

“One of the things I thought about South Bend was how it’s really built on sports. We have a film called A South Bend Built by Baseball, and it goes back and talks about the Studebaker and how the community came together playing baseball,” Hill said, “Of course, we’ve got Notre Dame in the backdrop. Talk about dynasty. We really are incorporating those elements of Indiana, but also showcasing how this really is a place that symbolizes sports, which helps us focus on it here with sports-centric content.”

The unique focus of the Dynasty Sports Film Festival signals a new layer to South Bend. As a South Bend filmmaker, Mandell sees merit in the festival continuing to develop.

“It’s really unique, and I hope it grows. I’ve seen some of the films from this weekend, and they’re amazing,” Mandell said. “It’s kind of a new idea for South Bend on this kind of scale, and it can be something that’s completely unique just to South Bend.”

Hill echoed a similar hope for growth, pointing toward the film industry.

“I want studios and distributors to be awakened like, ‘Wow, we can come here.’ Maybe they’re focused on looking for a sports film, and they’re having trouble finding it when they’re at these other film festivals,” Hill said. “Here, I want them to have a home and to feel welcomed and loved by those who enjoy everything that has to do with sports.”

The night ended with a celebration dedicated to online creators, sponsored by B&H. It took place at the Studebaker Museum, offering food, beverages, equipment displays and an opportunity to socialize with other creators.

For more information about Marissa Hill and her work as a producer, you can visit the Shade Studios website or follow her on Instagram.

For more information about the Dynasty Sports Film Festival, you can visit this website.