"Club Frontera" wins the 2016 Kicking + Screening Golden Whistle Award

The 2017 Kicking + Screening Golden Whistle, given annually to the best film at K+S Soccer Film Festival New York as determined by the K+S film board, has been awarded to Club Frontera, directed by Chris Cashman and produced by Eddie Cahan. 

Over the years, we've found that the best soccer films are never actually about "soccer" but about people: about challenges, identity, character, and inspiration. Club Frontera has all of that, and more. It has a great story and great storytelling. It celebrates how a game can bring pride, hope, and unity to a fractured city and that passion is not only boundless, but also borderless.

This year’s Golden Whistle is given in memoriam of Lena Kasambalides, our beloved friend and K+S team member who passed away suddenly in August. Her presence was deeply missed at this year's festival.

Lena (pictured below) brought an energy and vivaciousness to any space she entered, any conversation she joined. We are grateful that her love of the Beautiful Game brought her into our lives, and that we had several years to call her a colleague and, more importantly, a friend. She was a generous spirit and so giving with her time, her enthusiasm, and her dedication. We know she would have loved all the events this year, and would have been right there with us raising a glass of tequila to the Xolos.

Lena Kasambalides at the 2010 K+S Soccer Film Festival. 

Lena Kasambalides at the 2010 K+S Soccer Film Festival. 

Grant Wahl, Andres Flores to appear at K+S New York 2016

The 2016 Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival in New York is next week, running from September 13-16, and we are thrilled to announce several special guests who will join us for panel discussions and Q&As during the week.

Tuesday, September 13

Panel Discussion: "Soccer and the Culture of Design"

For more and more Americans, soccer has become the game of their life. Part of that is how the game is represented by a cool modern design, as seen in high-end soccer magazines, hand-designed sticker albums, independent fashion lines, and even fan Instagram accounts. This panel will mesh perfectly with the feature film on opening night, Stickers: Collecting Fever, which delves into the obsession with football sticker collecting. Panelists:  

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Wednesday, September 14

Q&A with director Chris Cashman, director of Club Frontera

The feature film on Night 2 is Club Frontera, about Tijuana-based Liga MX club Xolos and its unique connections to the soccer scene on both sides of the USA-Mexico border. Cashman will discuss the club, its incredible rise to glory, and how his film attempts to tell the story of one club and two countries.  

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Thursday, September 15

Q&A with El Salvador international Andres Flores

Uno: la historia de un gol tells the story of the lone goal scored by El Salvador in a 10-1 loss at the 1982. Flores, who has represented his country nearly 50 times and currently plays for the New York Cosmos, understands the power of that lone goal. He'll discuss the legacy of the 1982 team and how even in a losing effort there can be triumph.

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Friday, September 16

Closing night, as always, is just a party!

GET TICKETS NOW!

K+S co-presents Irish soccer film series in New York in June

The Republic of Ireland's national team is back in the Euro Championships this summer, their second straight qualification for Europe's biggest international tournament. 

To celebrate, Kicking + Screening and Peter Dillon's Pub in New York City are partnering to show the documentary film series Green Is the Colour over the course of three Wednesday evenings in June. The event series kicks off on Wednesday, June 1, and continues June 8 and June 15.

For opening night, we'll host a special #SoccerSocialHour, inviting the New York soccer scene out for a night of soccer films, soccer socializing, drink specials, and live music.  

Green Is the Colour delves into Ireland's unexpected soccer history. Did you know that the Irish instituted the penalty kick? Or that an Irishman once coached FC Barcelona and helped save them during the Spanish Civil War by leading them on a North American tour during which they played several clubs from Brooklyn? 

  • WHAT: K+S Soccer Social Hour
  • WHEN: Wednesday, June 1 @ 7pm
  • WHERE: Peter Dillon's Pub (2 East 36th Street)
  • PRICE: $10 Cover (entry plus 1 complimentary drink) 

RSVP AND GET TICKETS

 

K+S Soccer Film Festival New York 2016 dates announced

We're coming back! 

We're thrilled to announce that Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival New York 2016 -- our 8th edition in the Big Apple -- will take place Wednesday, September 13, through Friday, September 16. So mark your calendars. Seriously, go do it. We'll wait. 

Back? Good.

K+S New York 2016 will take place right in the middle soccer extravaganza, including the playoff race in MLS, the start of the Premier League, the start of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, and World Cup qualifying.

The delay in confirming the dates was due to uncertainty about where we will host K+S New York 2016. That uncertainty still exists, but we're working on it. (As many of you know, the Tribeca Cinemas, where we have held K+S festivals since 2010, closed last summer. In fact, we were the final event to happen at the legendary filmhouse.)

We already have a handful of terrific soccer films  from all around the world in consideration for K+S New York 2016. We're still looking for more. So if you know of any, let us know or submit it. 

As mentioned before, we are still working to shore up a venue. We will have news on that soon. In the meantime, we will host several #SoccerSocialHour meet-ups in NYC, and we'll be at the upcoming NYFEST soccer tournament on April 16, 2016.

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