Oct 23, 2022 | Amsterdam – Bicycle Film Festival has been celebrating bicycles through art, film, and music for 22 years. The BFF events have spanned 100 cities worldwide to an audience of more than one million people. Founded in New York by Brendt Barbur, Bicycle Film Festival is arriving back in Europe to the bicycle capital of the world, Amsterdam, at MOVE Amsterdam and Ride Out. Many of these were selections at film festivals and platforms such as Sundance, Cannes, Academy Awards (Oscars), Locarno, San Sebastian film festivals.

Not only will there be films that inspire, there will be live music from Simone and Amedeo Pace (of Blonde Redhead) perform a live score to STARS AND WATER CARRIERS by Jorgen Leth. BLONDE REDHEAD is one of the most influential rock bands from New York in the last three decades. They have performed and collaborated with many leading brands, including Gucci, Isabel Marant and Rachel Comey. JORGEN LETH is a Danish poet and film director who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary film making. He’s made over 40 films in his career, three of which are cycling documentaries. STARS AND WATER CARRIERS is the story of the 1973 Giro d'Italia. Eddy Merckx battles his longtime rival and later friend, Felice Gimondi. IDFA has honored Leth with their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Spanning three days, there will be nearly 50 short and feature length films from over 20 countries curated into 7 programs, that touch on a wide array of subjects such as the first mountain bike race on the Navajo Nation; Mountain bike Olympian and queer cyclist; Lea Davison at Unbound Gravel Race; young female cyclist is afraid of the morality police in Iran; and the first ever female Paris Roubaix race.

A young woman in Iran buys a bicycle and is afraid of the morality police.

Executive produced by Dutch cycling legend, Anna van der Breggen

Tribeca Film Festival world premiere. Featuring downhill world champion Miranda Miller, Enduro World Series medalist Andréane Lanthier Nadeau & pro rider/Winter Olympic medalist Brittany Phelan.

This short premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Feature film by the same title, premiering at Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.

The inaugural AMANI Migration Gravel Race

2021 Oscar Nomination best live action short

Best Short Film winner at Locarno Film Festival and official selection at San Sebastian Film Festival

Laurens ten Dam and Peter Stetina race the TransCordilleras bikepacking race.

An Alleycat Race and Group rides are planned across the city of Amsterdam. The schedule and sign up information will be announced soon!

BFF brings a myriad of panel topics and participants, including discussions from production and film makers, cyclists diving into their motivations and challenges, and focus on the prominent women in cycling. 

Bicycle Film Festival offers an international point of view of the cycling movement. The stories appeal to a wide audience from film connoisseurs to avid cyclists and everyone in between. Documentaries, narratives, animations, award-winning directors, and emerging talents – all sharing equal billing. The BFF plays an important role in creating an eco-friendly society and bringing diverse communities together. 

Press Contact: [email protected]

Film Admission: Film Program €15 | Concert €27.99 | Festival Pass €50

Founded in New York, Bicycle Film Festival has been celebrating bicycles through art, film and music for the last 22 years. The physical BFF spanned the world in up to 100 cities, to an audience of over one million people. The international locales included Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Mexico City, Cape Town and Istanbul and more at some of the most important venues such as Sydney Opera House and the Barbican or an old factory in Zurich. The subcultures of cycling have shared equal billing with the most exciting innovators in music, art, design and film. Participants have included: Erykah Badu, Karl Lagerfeld, Francesco Clemente, Shepard Fairey, Albert Maysles, Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Alex Katz, Kaws, Gavin Turk, Mike Mills, Paul Smith, the Neistat Brothers, Tom Sachs, Ridley Scott, Kiki Smith, Swoon, and Ai Weiwei.

In 2001, Barbur was compelled to start the festival after being hit by a bus while riding his bike in New York. He turned this negative experience into a positive one. He has since curated art exhibitions internationally and produced films. Barbur has also produced content for Puma, Barcardi, and Red Bull. He has been profiled by the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, NY Times, The Guardian and many others. Brendt has a strong focus on community and arts on a local and global scale, with a view on sustainability. Having created a social phenomenon with over 1 million attendees to date, he has influenced the transformation of cities worldwide and encouraged environmentalism through these cultural events. This festival is a celebration of life––not just entertainment.