K+S @ Lincoln Center: Kicking + Screening brings New York premiere of Clyde Best's inspiring story to NYC

As the FIFA World Cup heats up, the Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival is partnering with the world-famous Lincoln Center to elevate the soccer film genre to a whole new cultural level.

A New York premiere of Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story, directed by Dan Egan, will be part of Lincoln Center’s acclaimed “Summer for the City” festival, with this year’s programming centered around movement, including a special series “World at Play.”

The screening is FREE but you must register.

Lincoln Center Presents Kicking + Screening

For one night only, Kicking + Screening heads to Lincoln Center for a spectacular outdoor screening as part of Lincoln Center's Summer for the City series.

The Lineup & Schedule

Friday, July 10 at 8:00 PM

  • Feature Film: Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story

    • An unflinching look at Clyde Best, one of the first Black players to make a transformative impact in the top flight of English football, this inspiring documentary chronicles his courageous journey, the racism he overcame, and the lasting legacy he left on the sport.

  • Short Film: The Kick

  • Venue: Hearst Plaza, Lincoln Center

🎟️ Tickets & Venue Info: This event takes place outdoors at Hearst Plaza — rain or shine! For more details on attendance and ticketing, visit the Lincoln Center Summer for the City Event Page.

Beautiful Game, Big Screen: Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival joins the World Cup party at House of GOAL

Soccer fans and cinephiles, rejoice.

As the FIFA World Cup heats up, the Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival returns to New York City with an incredible lineup of features and shorts, plus the launch of the new Soccer Film Awards. Whether you are looking to dive deep into soccer history, celebrate legendary icons, or witness inspiring underdog stories, this year's festival has something for everyone.

The festival is splitting its time between two incredible activations this month: a multi-day series at the House of GOAL, a pop-up soccer experience in Industry City, Brooklyn, hosted by GOAL.com; and a special open-air screening at the iconic Lincoln Center, In Manhattan.

All the screenings are FREE but you must register.

Here is your ultimate guide to the screenings at House of GOAL and how to grab your tickets.

Mundial Presents Kicking + Screening at House of GOAL

Kicking & Screening is partnering with global soccer cultural leaders Mundial to take over House of GOAL for four matchdays of cinema, complete with a mix of thought-provoking soccer film events. All film events are FREE with a GA Pass, which can be obtained HERE.

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The Lineup & Schedule

Sunday, July 5 at 1:00 PM

  • Feature Film: The Home Game

    • On the first World Cup day with no matches, this Sunday matinee explores the big emotions for soccer in small towns. Directed by Smari Gunn and Logi Sigursveinsson, The Home Game tells the feel-good underdog story about an Icelander's clumsy attempt to complete his father's failed mission: To finally get their beloved fishing village a home game on the unused football pitch he built 25 years prior.

  • Short Film: Dracula of the Pampas

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Thursday, July 9 at 6:30 PM

  • Feature Film: Maradona ‘94: The Fall

    • Dedicated to one of the most polarizing, brilliant, and tragic figures in football history, Angus McQueen’s Maradona: The Fall looks closely at one of the most turbulent chapters of Diego Maradona's career: his controversial adventure playing for Argentina at the 1994 World Cup.

  • Short Film: Dracula of the Pampas

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Sunday, July 12 at 7:00 PM

  • Feature Film: Copa '71

    • Discover the extraordinary, pioneering, and largely forgotten story of the 1971 Women's World Cup—a tournament that drew historic crowds but was nearly erased from the history books. Produced by Serena Williams and Alex Morgan, Copa ‘71 celebrates the people and events that lay the foundation for what women’s soccer has since become.

  • Short Film: Passarinho

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Thursday, July 16 at 5:30 PM

  • Feature Film: Summer of '94

    • The festival grand finale. Directed by Chad Walker and Dave LaMattina, Summer of ‘94 relives the magic and madness of the 1994 World Cup with the inside story of the U.S. National Team that featured a ragtag crew of naturalized pros from Europe, journeymen American pros, and college kids.

  • Short Film: The Kick

    • Director Mengshi Hu will be on hand to introduce the film.

  • Special Event: The Soccer Film Awards

    • A long-planned dream of the K+S organizers, the inaugural Soccer Film Awards will celebrate and honor the best soccer films and filmmakers of the last few decades.

🎟️ Tickets & Venue Info: All of the above screenings take place at House of GOAL. For tickets, full schedules, and venue details, visit Goal.com/HouseOfGoal/Schedule.

What makes a film a soccer film?

Ever since we founded the Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival in 2009, people have asked us, What makes a film a soccer film?

It’s a question that, frankly, we had never contemplated before. Our team was — and still is — steeped in the game, including lifelong players, ex-pros, journalists, investors, marketers, and content creators. What made a film a soccer film was always self-evident to us. 

But the question has resonated with us over the years. Often, as we screen festival submissions, we find ourselves asking: Is this really a soccer film?

Usually, the answer is obvious. For example, behind-the-scenes documentaries revolve around action on the field, such as Les Yeux dans les Bleus, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Diego Maradona, and The End of the Storm, are clearly soccer films.

So too with documentaries that explore the culture around the game. The themes of these films are universal to sports — the passion of fans (e.g., Fever Pitch; Argentina Fútbol Club), the community impact (e.g., The Home Game; Soccertown USA), the intersection of politics and sports (e.g., Mundial: The Highest Stakes; Football Rebels), the business side of the game (e.g., FC Barcelona Confidential; Soka Afrika), or a hero’s journey (e.g., Next Goal Wins; Rise & Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story).

Because soccer or soccer culture is central to the narrative, they are, to us, soccer films. Plus, in our minds, soccer’s unique culture and history make these stories richer than they are in other sports. 

Fictional films are more complicated. Certain movies, like Victory, Rudo y Cursi, or Bend It Like Beckham, are obviously soccer films. Again, the game is central to the story.

Others are less obvious. There are many films in which soccer is a significant part of the plot, but the story does not hinge on the game. 

We then have to determine if there is enough “there” there. Is the soccer integral enough? Would a soccer fan feel a connection to the soccer element of the story? These questions lead us to say the brilliant Scottish film Gregory’s Girl is a soccer film, but 10 Things I Hate about You — which includes a young Julia Stiles famously showing off her real-life soccer skills — is not. 

Finally, there is a special category of movies that are definitely not soccer films but sneak in fragments of the game that fanatics like us notice and remember forever. These moments are like little Easter eggs that make us feel like cool insiders because we get the reference that non-socceristas (especially in the United States) don’t. 

A few examples are the “Arsenal offside trap” line in The Full Monty and the Pele speech in the wrestling film Vision Quest.

In the end, what we’ve learned is that there is no one thing that makes a film a soccer film. Soccer-ness is just a gut feeling. 

To steal a line from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, you know a soccer film when you see it.

The Beautiful Escape: Why "Victory" Remains the Ultimate Soccer Movie

Here at Kicking + Screening, we exist at the intersection of film and soccer. We’ve showcased hundreds of films that capture the passion, politics, and poetry of soccer.

But, for us, there’s one film that stands as the GOAT of the genre—a cinematic curiosity so wild, so earnest, and so wrapped in the mystique of the game that it is the eternal soccer film cult classic.

We’re talking, of course, about John Huston’s 1981 “masterpiece” Victory.

Depending on where you live, you might know it as Escape to Victory. You might know it as "that movie where Pele does the bicycle kick." Or "where Sly Stallone plays goalkeeper."

Regardless, Victory — and its impact and legacy — can’t be ignored. It is one of the most unexpected World War Two films from an Oscar-winning director ever. With one of the most unexpected ensemble casts, featuring accomplished actors (Michael Caine, Max von Sydow, Sylvester Stallone, Tim Piggott-Smith, etc.) and legendary footballers (Bobby Moore, Ossie Ardiles, Kazimierz Deyna).

On the 34th anniversary of its release, we’re taking a moment to pay homage to this brilliant film that continues to inspire us as festival organizers, as soccer fans, and as people who wish they could execute a perfect bicycle kick.

The Premise: The "Great Escape" Meets "Rocky"

The genius of Victory lies in its audacious concept. It takes the classic WWII prisoner-of-war escape formula (think The Great Escape) and merges it with a classic underdog sports movie structure (think Rocky, fittingly enough).

Set in a Nazi POW camp, the legendary Michael Caine stars as Captain John Colby, a former English professional player roped into organizing a match between a team of Allied prisoners and a German team as a propaganda stunt. Colby sees it as a way to boost morale; his commanding officers see it as the perfect cover for a mass escape from the stadium in occupied Paris.

Enter Sylvester Stallone as Captain Robert Hatch, a brash American escape artist who knows nothing about "soccer" but is determined to use the match to break free. He’s eventually forced into the unlikely role of the team's goalkeeper.

The final third of the movie is dedicated to the match itself—an epic showdown that takes place in front of thousands of roaring French citizens and senior Nazi officers. The stakes are simple: win the game, or gain your freedom.

The Trinity: Caine, Stallone, and Pelé

The film’s legacy is anchored by its surreal and arguably insane star-powered trinity. You have never seen a cast like this before, and you likely never will again.

  1. Michael Caine: Caine brings a weary authority to the role of Colby. He is the stabilizing force, the man who understands that for his fellow soldiers, the chance to compete fairly—to be athletes again, not just prisoners—is its own form of resistance. Caine gives the film its heart and its dramatic grounding.

  2. Sylvester Stallone: Fresh off Rocky, Stallone is, well, Stallone. His performance as Hatch is pure 1980s American ego, filled with hard stares, faux toughness, and comedic misunderstandings of the rules. While he reportedly struggled with the actual goalkeeping—even breaking a finger during filming—his underdog energy fits the film’s narrative arc perfectly. His climactic penalty save is pure cinema.

  3. Pelé: And then there is Pelé. Victory isn't just a movie starring Pelé; it’s a showcase of his genius as a player and a personality. Playing Corporal Luis Fernandez of Trinidad, Pelé brings effortless joy to the screen. Even surrounded by movie stars, he is the most magnetic presence. When he has the ball, the film becomes a ballet.

The Legends on the Pitch

Victory is unique because it didn't rely on actors pretending to be good at soccer. The Allies’ team is a who’s who of international football legends of the 1960s and 70s.

Alongside Pelé, you see World Cup winner Bobby Moore (England), Osvaldo Ardiles (Argentina), Kazimierz Deyna (Poland), Paul Van Himst (Belgium), and numerous other pros.

The authenticity they bring to the action scenes—the quality of the passing, the first touches, the tackles—is unmatched. When they move the ball, you aren't watching stuntmen; you are watching masters of the craft.

The talent isn’t only on the Allies’ side. Werner Roth, the former New York Cosmos legend, plays Baumann, the Nazi team captain who finds himself in a penalty kick showdown — and staredown — with Stallone’s Hatch that sets up the dramatic finish to the match and the film.

The Bicycle Kick Heard 'Round the World

If Victory is remembered for only one image, it is the Bicycle Kick.

Down 4-1 at halftime, battered by German fouls and a biased referee, the Allies stage a legendary comeback. The turning point is Pelé’s moment of transcendent skill.

Injured early in the game, his character returns to the pitch for the final minutes. As a cross comes in, he rises to strike a perfect overhead volley into the corner of the net.

The stadium erupts. Even the Nazi officer who organized the match (played the great von Sydow) can’t help but stand and applaud. It’s the single most iconic soccer moment in film history, and it was executed by the man who invented the legend of the move himself.

Why Victory Matters to K+S

Victory might be campy. It might be historically inaccurate. It might be absurd that the prisoners choose to stay at halftime to finish the game rather than escape through the tunnel.

Whatever. This is Hollywood. Expect the absurd.

But, less expected, is how Victory gets to a fundamental truth of the game. Soccer, for us, is about culture, connection, unity. It’s about standing for something: for your teammates, for your community, for yourself.

At the end of Victory, the scoreline (4-4) is irrelevant. What matters is emotion that rises up in the crowd that overwhelms the Nazi guards to swarm the players and help them disappear into the freedom beyond the walls of the stadium. It's the ultimate pitch invasion.

"The Home Game" & "Oor Wally" win 2024 K+S Golden Whistle awards

The K+S Golden Whistles are awarded to the feature and short films that epitomize the joyful soccer values of K+S and truly affect our festival goers. This year, the Golden Whistles are presented to:

FEATURE: The Home Game

  • Directed by Smari Gunn & Logi Sigursveinsson, this Icelandic film about a man on a mission to bring an FA Cup game to a tiny fishing village had the entire festival cheering for the club, Reynir Hellisandur.

  • The Home Game is still on the festival circuit now, so keep your eye out.

SHORT: Oor Wally

  • Martin Lennon’s 12-minute doc on Wally the Warrior, the mascot for Scottish fourth-tier club Stenhousemuir F.C., was both hilarious and touching. A perfect encapsulation of the passion and absurdity of smalltown lower-league football.

  • Watch it here.

Past Golden Whistle winners: