
Festival
Thinking Football Film Festival is a film and football festival organized by the Athletic Club Foundationin collaboration with Sala BBK. Since its first edition in 2013, the festival has grown in prestige to become one of the most important football and film festivals in the world.
PROGRAMA
Mighty Penguins
Meet Special K, Peanut, Charlie, and the rest of the Brentford Penguins, a football team with a difference: all the young players have Down’s Syndrome. ‘Mighty Penguins’ follows coach Allan Cockram, the players and their families as they prepare to be the guard of honour at a Premier League match. A funny, illuminating film about […]
Find out more »Pirveli Mertskhali (The First Swallow)
A classic Georgian film directed by renowned director Nana Mchedlidze, “The First Swallow” is a comedy about Georgia's first football club. Founded in the port city of Poti, and overcoming poverty and a lack of sporting equipment, the talented Jason leads the side to victories over numerous foreign and local teams until they face a […]
Find out more »UEFA Extraordinary Stories
Extraordinary Stories is a documentary series of short films featuring captivating stories unearthed from UEFA’s archives. They are astonishing tales of triumphant glories, obscure teams and fascinating individuals, which are both unimaginable and truly extraordinary. Commissioned by UEFA TV and produced by Noah Media Group (creators of “Arsène Wenger: Invincible” and “Finding Jack Charlton”), four […]
Find out more »El hincha (The Fan)
Renzo attempts to get closer to his family and the football universe, a universe that always seemed strange to him. The film depicts two parallel worlds: the real one and another which the protagonist could have had. The plot moves between documentary and fiction. Through humour and showing his family from a personal point of […]
Find out more »Marinette
This biopic that tells the inspiring story of Marinette Pichon, who is considered the greatest female football player in French history. A passionate footballer since childhood, and encouraged by the local coach, Marinette showed her ability in a boys' club, but was forced leave at the age of 16 due to federation rules. A pioneer […]
Find out more »In the Middle
A beautifully crafted British documentary that follows a diverse group of referees as they try to cope with the demands of officiating matches in youth football during the 2019/20 season. Experienced or rookie, young or old, male, female or non-binary, these unsung heroes talk about their passion for the game, their lives away from the […]
Find out more »Liam Brady: The Irishman Abroad
An Irish television production about Liam Brady, one of the greatest talents in Irish football history and the first to make it big in Europe. Brady began his career at Arsenal (where he later became a youth coach) before going on to play for Juventus, Inter and Sampdoria. Filmed in Italy, Ireland and the UK, […]
Find out more »Another Way: Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers are the world's greenest football club. Their aim is to use football to raise awareness about climate change. Their identity is sustainability. They are vegan and environmentally responsible. In this FIFA production, football fans learn about FRG’s mission as we accompany them in their fight for promotion to League One, a journey […]
Find out more »Green Lions
Cameroon went into the 1990 World Cup in Italy as the ideal victims. However, in the opening match they defeated the world champions, none other than Diego Maradona's Argentina in what was probably the biggest upset in World Cup history up until that point. That was just the first step in an adventure that will […]
Find out more »Thinking Football Revisited: “I Believe in Miracles”
In this new section called “Thinking Football Revisited” we bring back one of most popular entries from a previous edition of the Thinking Football Film Festival. “I Believe in Miracles” follows the rise of Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough and his right-hand man Peter Taylor as they take the club from the English second division […]
Find out more »La bella stagione (The Beautiful Season)
Genoa, 1990. Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini's Sampdoria embark on an epic adventure that will change Italian football, achieving goals few thought possible. "La bella stagione" (The Beautiful Season) is the story of an incredible journey to victory, told through the voices of the players involved and the journalists who covered that season. The director […]
Find out more »Tigrar
Winner of the Audience Award at the 2022 Thinking Football Film Festival, “Tigrar” tells the story of Martin Bengtsson, a child football prodigy who falls into a self-destructive spiral after fulfilling his lifelong dream and signing for Inter Milan. Based on the player’s autobiography, the film deals with the consequences of mental illness in sport. […]
Find out more »News
Schedule
Finding Jack Charlton
Recognized as one of the best sports documentaries of recent years, "Finding Jack Charlton" is an intimate approach to the figure of the mythical coach of the Irish national team, an Englishman, world champion with England, who became one of the dearest people in Ireland.
Find out more »God save the wings
This award-winning documentary film is the story of the professional indoor soccer team that took Wichita by storm in 1979. Playing in the Kansas Coliseum, the Wings averaged 9,000+ fans for several years in the 1980s. World-class players from around the world came to play for coach Roy Turner against teams from nearly every major […]
Find out more »The Three Kings
This documentary tells the incredible story of Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Jock Stein, three men born less than 30 miles south of Glasgow, who grew up to become lifelong friends and three of the most influential men in the history of football. Directed by Jonny Owen, who has already presented the wonderful 'I believe in […]
Find out more »Wenger: Invincible
The story of the man who revolutionized Arsenal and took charge of the legendary London club for 22 years, told by himself. Through his first-person accounts, third-party testimonials, and remarkable archive footage that includes never-before-seen footage, directors Gabriel Clarke and Christian Jeanpierre paint an up-close and personal portrait of the French coach and his football […]
Find out more »Nadia
When she was just eight years old, Nadia Nadim had to flee Afghanistan, along with her mother and siblings, after the assassination of her father by the Taliban. Over the years, Nadia has become one of the best soccer players in the world, playing for Paris Saint Germain and representing her adopted homeland Denmark in […]
Find out more »LFG
Three months before the Women's World Cup in France 2019, which they won, US players filed a class action gender discrimination lawsuit against their football federation. Produced by HBO, LFG (an acronym for Let`s fucking go) is a documentary that follows this story by focusing on the players who led the cause: Megan Rapinoe, Jessica […]
Find out more »Destino Confidencial: Campeonas
Between August 15 and September 5, 1971, the second edition of the women's football world championship was held in Mexico. In the tournament, which FIFA did not officially recognize, the national teams of Argentina, Italy, England, Denmark, France and Mexico participated. Confidential Destination, ESPN's documentary program, presents us, from the hand of directors Martín and […]
Find out more »Tala’vision (Double session I)
Tala is a young Arab girl whose love of soccer is mitigated by her father's attempt to protect her from ISIS threats while she's locked away in a war zone apartment. Tala's pleas, her father dumps their TV out the window and it smashes to bits in the street below. ISIS prohibits TVs, and he […]
Find out more »Steh Auf Du Sau! (Double session II)
Gery plays football for FC Horndorf. He manages to make the leap from his youth football team to his town’s testosterone-ridden first team. From all sides he’s bombarded with input about his plans for the future. Only Gery is still uncertain what he, himself, wants. Steh Auf Du Sau! Florian Moses Bayer Austria, 2022 29 […]
Find out more »Tigrar
Martin Bengtsson is one of the most promising football talents Sweden has ever seen. At sixteen, his lifelong dream comes true when he is bought by one of Italy's most prestigious clubs. Yet that dream comes at a very high price in terms of sacrifice, dedication, pressure and - most of all - loneliness. Martin […]
Find out more »Centoventi contro Novecento
One Sunday in the spring of 1975, two very special teams played a football match on the field of Parma's Citadel Park. On the one hand, the team formed by the workers of the film “Salò or the 120 days of Sodoma” (the last film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini before his tragic murder). On […]
Find out more »Special session with film director Juanjo Giménez
Juanjo Giménez is a film director, screenwriter and producer. His short film "Timecode" won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. Militant defender of the short film as cinematographic expression, throughout his career he has made four short films in which football plays a leading role: “Libre Indirecto”, “Máxima pena”, “Rodilla” and […]
Find out more »Tigrar
Winner of the Audience Award at the 2022 Thinking Football Film Festival, “Tigrar” tells the story of Martin Bengtsson, a child football prodigy who falls into a self-destructive spiral after fulfilling his lifelong dream and signing for Inter Milan. Based on the player’s autobiography, the film deals with the consequences of mental illness in sport. […]
Find out more »La bella stagione (The Beautiful Season)
Genoa, 1990. Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini's Sampdoria embark on an epic adventure that will change Italian football, achieving goals few thought possible. "La bella stagione" (The Beautiful Season) is the story of an incredible journey to victory, told through the voices of the players involved and the journalists who covered that season. The director […]
Find out more »Thinking Football Revisited: “I Believe in Miracles”
In this new section called “Thinking Football Revisited” we bring back one of most popular entries from a previous edition of the Thinking Football Film Festival. “I Believe in Miracles” follows the rise of Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough and his right-hand man Peter Taylor as they take the club from the English second division […]
Find out more »Green Lions
Cameroon went into the 1990 World Cup in Italy as the ideal victims. However, in the opening match they defeated the world champions, none other than Diego Maradona's Argentina in what was probably the biggest upset in World Cup history up until that point. That was just the first step in an adventure that will […]
Find out more »Another Way: Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers are the world's greenest football club. Their aim is to use football to raise awareness about climate change. Their identity is sustainability. They are vegan and environmentally responsible. In this FIFA production, football fans learn about FRG’s mission as we accompany them in their fight for promotion to League One, a journey […]
Find out more »Liam Brady: The Irishman Abroad
An Irish television production about Liam Brady, one of the greatest talents in Irish football history and the first to make it big in Europe. Brady began his career at Arsenal (where he later became a youth coach) before going on to play for Juventus, Inter and Sampdoria. Filmed in Italy, Ireland and the UK, […]
Find out more »In the Middle
A beautifully crafted British documentary that follows a diverse group of referees as they try to cope with the demands of officiating matches in youth football during the 2019/20 season. Experienced or rookie, young or old, male, female or non-binary, these unsung heroes talk about their passion for the game, their lives away from the […]
Find out more »Marinette
This biopic that tells the inspiring story of Marinette Pichon, who is considered the greatest female football player in French history. A passionate footballer since childhood, and encouraged by the local coach, Marinette showed her ability in a boys' club, but was forced leave at the age of 16 due to federation rules. A pioneer […]
Find out more »El hincha (The Fan)
Renzo attempts to get closer to his family and the football universe, a universe that always seemed strange to him. The film depicts two parallel worlds: the real one and another which the protagonist could have had. The plot moves between documentary and fiction. Through humour and showing his family from a personal point of […]
Find out more »UEFA Extraordinary Stories
Extraordinary Stories is a documentary series of short films featuring captivating stories unearthed from UEFA’s archives. They are astonishing tales of triumphant glories, obscure teams and fascinating individuals, which are both unimaginable and truly extraordinary. Commissioned by UEFA TV and produced by Noah Media Group (creators of “Arsène Wenger: Invincible” and “Finding Jack Charlton”), four […]
Find out more »Pirveli Mertskhali (The First Swallow)
A classic Georgian film directed by renowned director Nana Mchedlidze, “The First Swallow” is a comedy about Georgia's first football club. Founded in the port city of Poti, and overcoming poverty and a lack of sporting equipment, the talented Jason leads the side to victories over numerous foreign and local teams until they face a […]
Find out more »Mighty Penguins
Meet Special K, Peanut, Charlie, and the rest of the Brentford Penguins, a football team with a difference: all the young players have Down’s Syndrome. ‘Mighty Penguins’ follows coach Allan Cockram, the players and their families as they prepare to be the guard of honour at a Premier League match. A funny, illuminating film about […]
Find out more »