This one goes to 11!
Pardon the non-soccer film reference, but it’s true – this year, we are thrilled to present our 11th annual Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival in New York.
And just as a soccer team’s starting lineup has 11 players, so too does our film lineup. Eleven films, from full-length features to micro-shorts, will screen over four nights, along with a full slate of complementary events, including panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, post-screening parties, and raffles.
WORLD PREMIERE | 65min | USA | 2018 | English |
Directed by Robert Penzel, Produced by Kiko Doran, Tom McCabe and Kirk Rudell
Before they played in the World Cup together, Tab Ramos, John Harkes, and Tony Meola were three kids from the same place: Kearny, New Jersey. A small working-class town, Kearny had a passion for a game that, back then, their country didn't share. It had a vibrant street-soccer scene, a strong youth club, a championship culture at the high school, and a history of soccer dreams. Together, Tab, John, and Tony grew up to form the backbone of the U.S. National Team that willed its way to famous victories and earned the world’s respect in both the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, laying the foundation for soccer’s explosion in American and inspiring future generations to play the game.
Plus:
Battle For New York (short)
A behind-the-scenes look at the key supporters of the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC as they gear up for their first-ever derbies in 2015. The Battle for New York is in the stands and on the field, revealing the fanaticism and the friction as it unfolds. Directed by Greg Jenkins.
26 mins | USA + UK | 2019 | English | Directed by Matthew Ellison + Jordan Axelrod
Coach follows Tracy Hamm, who currently leads the women’s soccer team at San Francisco State, in her quest to earn the internationally renowned UEFA A coaching license. Hamm turned to Europe after her efforts to pursue a top license from U.S. Soccer were obstructed by requirements that candidates seeking waivers to bypass lower certification levels must have played three years of professional soccer. When she graduated from college in 2006, no professional women’s league existed in the United States.
Plus:
Short | US PREMIERE | Yasmina is a fifteen-year-old teenager who passionately loves football and practices at the Saint-Étienne football club. But she is also a Moroccan who is in France without a visa, with her father and his French girlfriend. After she sees her father get arrested right as she returns from training one evening, she will have to make a decision that tests her love of the game. Directed by Claire Cahen & Ali Esmili.
Short | US PREMIERE | Having consistently beaten the other girls’ teams, Lleida’s AEM girls’ football club decided to play with the boys. This documentary tells the story of what happened next. Directed by Rojo Rosenvinge + Sandra Bauera.
US PREMIERE | 89 min | Germany | 2019 | English Subtitles | Directed by Jan Strasheim + Franzika Rappl + Bjorn Tanneberger
Thirty years after their last major title, Eintracht Frankfurt win the German Cup in May 2018, stirring the passion of their fans and an entire region. A film team accompanied Eintracht from their arrival in Berlin for the match to the victory celebrations at the Römer in Frankfurt, providing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the team and recounting all of the emotions around the historic 3-1 victory over powerhouse Bayern Munich.
Plus:
The Lunch Break (short)
The boys of 5-B plan a soccer game for the lunch break, regardless of the fact that the gym is closed for an after-school teachers’ meeting. But after the principal catches them and sends two of them to the discipline committee, the rest of the kids refuse to leave their friends behind. Directed by Ozan Yoleri.
Saudade (short)
The Portuguese writer Manuel de Melo defined the saudade in 1660 as “the joy that is suffered, and the suffering that is enjoyed,” which perfectly describes the life of a soccer fan. Directed by Pedro Segarra + Jorge Bravo.
NYC PREMIERE | 96 mins | USA | 2019 | English | Directed by Joe Heslinga
Foosballers tells the quirky and heartwarming story of a group of professional athletes the world doesn’t know exists: professional table soccer players. Through an ensemble cast, this film explores a never-before-seen piece of American history and shares the stories of players around the country as they prepare for the sport's most prestigious event, the World Championships.
Plus:
Now We Can Die in Peace / Maintenant On Peut Mourir Tranquille (short)
During the 1998 World Cup final, a cop and his partner wait in their surveillance van to bring down a "big fish". But everything doesn't work out as they planned. Directed by Arnaud Guez
GOAAL! (short)
Experience the universal appeal of Diego Maradona's legendary playmaking in a variety of different languages. Directed by Richards Nimbley
WORLD PREMIERE | 65min | USA | 2018 | English |
Directed by Robert Penzel, Produced by Kiko Doran, Tom McCabe and Kirk Rudell
Before they played in the World Cup together, Tab Ramos, John Harkes, and Tony Meola were three kids from the same place: Kearny, New Jersey. A small working-class town, Kearny had a passion for a game that, back then, their country didn't share. It had a vibrant street-soccer scene, a strong youth club, a championship culture at the high school, and a history of soccer dreams. Together, Tab, John, and Tony grew up to form the backbone of the U.S. National Team that willed its way to famous victories and earned the world’s respect in both the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, laying the foundation for soccer’s explosion in American and inspiring future generations to play the game.
Plus:
Battle For New York (short)
A behind-the-scenes look at the key supporters of the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC as they gear up for their first-ever derbies in 2015. The Battle for New York is in the stands and on the field, revealing the fanaticism and the friction as it unfolds. Directed by Greg Jenkins.
26 mins | USA + UK | 2019 | English | Directed by Matthew Ellison + Jordan Axelrod
Coach follows Tracy Hamm, who currently leads the women’s soccer team at San Francisco State, in her quest to earn the internationally renowned UEFA A coaching license. Hamm turned to Europe after her efforts to pursue a top license from U.S. Soccer were obstructed by requirements that candidates seeking waivers to bypass lower certification levels must have played three years of professional soccer. When she graduated from college in 2006, no professional women’s league existed in the United States.
Plus:
Short | US PREMIERE | Yasmina is a fifteen-year-old teenager who passionately loves football and practices at the Saint-Étienne football club. But she is also a Moroccan who is in France without a visa, with her father and his French girlfriend. After she sees her father get arrested right as she returns from training one evening, she will have to make a decision that tests her love of the game. Directed by Claire Cahen & Ali Esmili.
Short | US PREMIERE | Having consistently beaten the other girls’ teams, Lleida’s AEM girls’ football club decided to play with the boys. This documentary tells the story of what happened next. Directed by Rojo Rosenvinge + Sandra Bauera.
US PREMIERE | 89 min | Germany | 2019 | English Subtitles | Directed by Jan Strasheim + Franzika Rappl + Bjorn Tanneberger
Thirty years after their last major title, Eintracht Frankfurt win the German Cup in May 2018, stirring the passion of their fans and an entire region. A film team accompanied Eintracht from their arrival in Berlin for the match to the victory celebrations at the Römer in Frankfurt, providing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the team and recounting all of the emotions around the historic 3-1 victory over powerhouse Bayern Munich.
Plus:
The Lunch Break (short)
The boys of 5-B plan a soccer game for the lunch break, regardless of the fact that the gym is closed for an after-school teachers’ meeting. But after the principal catches them and sends two of them to the discipline committee, the rest of the kids refuse to leave their friends behind. Directed by Ozan Yoleri.
Saudade (short)
The Portuguese writer Manuel de Melo defined the saudade in 1660 as “the joy that is suffered, and the suffering that is enjoyed,” which perfectly describes the life of a soccer fan. Directed by Pedro Segarra + Jorge Bravo.
NYC PREMIERE | 96 mins | USA | 2019 | English | Directed by Joe Heslinga
Foosballers tells the quirky and heartwarming story of a group of professional athletes the world doesn’t know exists: professional table soccer players. Through an ensemble cast, this film explores a never-before-seen piece of American history and shares the stories of players around the country as they prepare for the sport's most prestigious event, the World Championships.
Plus:
Now We Can Die in Peace / Maintenant On Peut Mourir Tranquille (short)
During the 1998 World Cup final, a cop and his partner wait in their surveillance van to bring down a "big fish". But everything doesn't work out as they planned. Directed by Arnaud Guez
GOAAL! (short)
Experience the universal appeal of Diego Maradona's legendary playmaking in a variety of different languages. Directed by Richards Nimbley
This year K+S is proud to support GOLEADORAS, which aims to leverage the power of soccer to transform the self-confidence, sense of solidarity, ambition, perseverance, and well-being of girls in Mexico and eventually, throughout Latin America.
The Goleadoras Project grows out of a ten-year-old US-based not-for-profit foundation Proyecto Paz, an organization dedicated to bringing soccer to underprivileged communities with the support of donors such as Corporacion Andina de Fomento, Direct TV, Tag Heuer, MTV and allies like the United Nations, Unidos en Red, Peace One Day.
Learn more at GOLEADORAS
For the past decade, Kicking + Screening has organized the premier soccer film festival in North America. We're proud of this.
Recently, we've started to expand our thinking about what K+S can be and what it can provide for people. Truth is, we've always seen K+S as a big community project, not just as a festival or a film distributor.
The best way to keep up on everything related to K+S is to join the Kicking + Screening Film Club. Get all the details…
