Introducing Thinking Football Film Festival 2024

The Athletic Club Foundation has introduced the programme for the 2024 Thinking Football Film Festival, which will be held at Bilbao's Sala BBK.

There will be six days (18, 19, 20, 21, 25 and 26 November) of good football cinema with a very interesting and varied programme.

In addition, and as usual at the festival, very special guests will attend the screenings and there will be discussions after the main sessions.

Johana Ruiz-Olabuenaga, the director of Athletic Club's communities departments, spoke about the Foundation's three main pillars, culture, community and inclusion, and how the festival fits into the work being done.

"In the areas of community and inclusion, our work is fundamentally in the field," she said.

"On a weekly basis, we help hundreds and hundreds of people through projects that seek to improve health, fight stigma, generate protection networks and build teams.

"However, we believe that this work would not be complete if we didn't also contribute to changing mentalities. That is why, because we cannot change the world without thinking about it, we have been working resolutely on culture for many years.

"We use film and literature as areas in which to raise important questions related to the values we defend. This is where the Thinking Football Film Festival comes in."

To end her speech, the director mentioned the distaster that has taken place in Valencia: "Athletic Club, like the rest of society, is really shocked by the tragedy and we would like you to know that we are in contact with various entities and associations both in the Basque Country and in Valencia to agree and co-ordinate on what we can offer, and what would be most effective."

Koldo Bilbao, BBK's culture co-ordinater pointed out that for Sala BBK "it is important to promote culture and pass on values that go beyond sport, as is always the case with this festival".

Galder Reguera provided details about the festival programme: twelve screenings (eleven films and one short film) in double sessions (18:00 and 20:00, except on the opening day, with the premiere at 19:00) with Q&A sessions in the Sala BBK after the main sessions.

For more information on this year's edition, visit the Thinking Football website. In addition, the page has sections dedicated to previous editions and past festival winners. Admission is free, but it is necessary to book online here.
 

BOOK YOUR TICKETS 

 

Monday 18: “The Last Taboo” (19:00), with Thomas Hitzlsperger 

“The Last Taboo” is a German documentary that addresses the topic of homosexuality in men's football through the personal stories of 10 footballers. Among them is Thomas Hitzlsperger, who was appointed an Athletic Club's 125th anniversary ambassador due to his fight for a more diverse, fair and tolerant football.

Thomas will be one of the star guests at this edition and will be joined in the post-screening chat by Amal Fashanu, niece of the late Justin Fashanu, the first elite footballer to publicly come out as gay.

 

Tuesday 19: “The Football Aficionado” (18:00) and Copa 71 (20:00)

“The Football Aficionado” tells the story of Zahra, a 27-year-old Iranian woman who lives in Tehran and is a big fan of Persepolis FC, one of the biggest football teams in the capital.

However, according to an unwritten law, women are not allowed to go to stadiums and watch matches. So, Zahra decides to disguise herself as a man in order to enter the ground, not foreseeing that her action would go viral on social media, and be covered by the press, starting a new chapter in her life.

‘Copa 71’ is an English film that revisits a tournament played by the women's national teams of England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark and Italy in Mexico City in August 1971. This world championship was a watershed moment in the history of women's football and, incomprehensibly, has been largely forgotten about.

 

Wednesday 20: “Campos” 18:00, “Greenland: Santa Cruz del Islote” (20:00) and “Colombia, camino a la gloria” (20:10).

“Campos” (Pitches) is a journey through rural Spain via the stories and conversations of the people who live there and their relationships with their surroundings. People who, through their connection with football, with their village or with their neighbours, reveal different aspects of depopulation and show the value of rural football as an instrument of union and cohesion.

At 20:00, before the main screening, we will show the short film "Greenland: Santa Cruz del Islote". This ESPN feature explores places around the world where playing football seems impossible and yet it is happens. Santa Cruz del Islote in Colombia is one of those locations.

Next up, the star film of the day is "Colombia, camino a la gloria" (Colombia: the road to glory). This documentary portrays the long process of rebuilding Colombia's national team and their victory at the 2001 Copa América.

 

Thursday 21: “As primeiras” (18:00) and “Los Williams” (20:00)

‘As primeiras’ (The First Ones), top documentary at the SoFoot 2024 festival, portrays the lives of a group of 60-year-old women from Rio de Janeiro, who share a common past: they formed the first women's football team in Brazil. The film follows them today, reflecting on where their dream plans went, how they cope with memory, choices and ageing.

‘Los Williams’ is a film that needs no introduction among Athleticzales, as its protagonists are our players Iñaki and Nico Williams. The film also tells the story of their parents, Maria and Félix, who found a new home for their children in The Basque Country and at Athletic Club.

 

Monday 25: “Volver a vivir” (18:00) and “Looking for Eric” (20:00), with Paul Laverty

After the weekend break, Thinking Football returns with the screening of two classics. “Volver a vivir” (Live again) is one of Mario Camus's best films. He also directed masterpieces such as “Los santos inocentes” (The innocent saints) and “La colmena” (The beehive). "Volver a vivir" tells the story of Luis Rubio, a famous former footballer, who returns to Spain after working in South America as a player and coach.

In the 20:00 session, we will screen “Looking for Eric”,  the football cinema masterpiece directed by the prestigious Ken Loach and starring Eric Cantona. Paul Laverty, Ken Loach's regular screenwriter, will be at the Sala BBK. With more than 28 years working in the film industry, Laverty stands out for creating stories with great human and social depth.

 

Tuesday 26: Hamaika andra zurigorri (18:00) and “Weekend Rebels” (20:00)

“Hamaika andra zurigorri” (Eleven red and white women) is a documentary produced by the Labayru Foundation in collaboration with Athletic Club, the AC Foundation and AC Museoa, and financed by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.

Director Akaitze Kamiruaga interviews a range of figures, such as Eli Ibarra, Jose Angel Iribar, Iraia Iturregi, Iñigo Juaristi, Garazi Murua, Nerea Onaindia, Edurne Salsamendi, Garazi Unibaso, Ana Urquijo, Ernesto Valverde and others, to demonstrate the way in which oral memory is needed to reliably reconstruct Athletic Club's past, especially when related to women, who are so often absent from the material sources.

“Weekend Rebels” tells the story of Mirco and Fatime, the parents of Jason, a boy with Asperger's. When the school advises that Jason should move to a special education centre due to his bad behaviour, Fatime asks Mirco to step up as a parent. Micro travels a lot for work, so is not a big presence in the house.

The father and son decide to make a pact: Jason promises to do his best to improve at school if Mirco helps him find a favourite football team. Together they set out on a journey through the different stadiums of the Bundesliga to help Jason find a club.