K+S Soccer Film Festival New York 2015 | Night 1 kicks off a huge week of #SoccerInNYC

Hold on tight, everyone, because it's all kicking off in New York City. 

This week, it is good to be a soccer fan (fanatic?) in the Big Apple, with a gorgeous feast of soccer events taking place around the city. 

It all gets going, of course, with our 7th annual Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival New York, which gets under way on Tuesday at the world-famous Tribeca Cinemas. We've got two terrific films and a tantalizing post-screening panel discussion.

Film 1: Jack to a King: The Swansea Story (SOLD OUT)

Wales | 2014 | Dir. Marc Evans 
The remarkable true story of a rag-tag group of football fans who saved their club from oblivion and took them to the richest game in world football: The Championship Play-Off Final, with the ultimate prize being a place in the Premier League.

MORE INFO + TRAILER | SOLD OUT!

Film 2: A Wonderful Season of Failure

Italy | 2014 | Dir. Mario Bucci
A documentary feature about 2013/2014 season of Bari Football Club and the first “happy” failure in times of crisis. The idea for this story has its origin in a simple, yet inspiring, fact: Football in Bari is everything but normal.

MORE INFO + TRAILER | GET TICKETS

Panel Discussion: “Pro/Rel: The risks and reward of the promotion/relegation system”

Leigh Dineen, vice chairman, Swansea City
Matt Doyle, senior editor, MLSsoccer.com
Mal Pope, executive producer, Jack to a King
Erik Stover, chief operating officer, New York Cosmos 

Stay for the after-party at the Varick Room following all the scheduled events.

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Support your local! This is kind of #SoccerInNYC Week. Here are a few other soccer events taking place in the Big Apple this week:

Pro/Rel, Conflict, and Supporter Passion on tap for K+S panel series

K+S New York 2015 Panels

NEW YORK -- To promote or not to promote? That is the question.

The hotly debated topic of promotion and relegation takes center stage on Night 1 of the Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival New York 2015, which runs from Tuesday, June 23, through Friday, June 26.

Tied to the two opening-night films, Jack to a King and A Wonderful  Season of Failure, both of which tell the story of clubs navigating the traditional pro/rel system in Europe, a discussion panel including executives from EPL club Swansea City and NASL club New York Cosmos will continue the conversation about one of the most controversial subjects in American soccer.

That's just one of exclusive panel discussions taking place during K+S New York 2015. Others will explore themes including how to view the beautiful game during the ugliness of war and the challenge of filming the sound and fury of passionate supporters.

Panel discussions on Nights 1-3 take place after the films in the Varick Room, inside the Tribeca Cinemas. The special FC Bayern Q&A on Night 4 takes place before the film, also in the Varick Room. 

And, as always, K+S encourages everyones to continue the discussion at the after-party.

2015 Film Lineup and Trailers | BUY TICKETS

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K+S NEW YORK 2015 PANELS

TUESDAY, JUNE 23
“Pro/Rel: The risks and reward of the promotion/relegation system”

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
“Soccer's Role in Conflict and Peace-building”

THURSDAY, JUNE 25
“Filming Fans: How to capture the heart of passion”

FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Special Pre-Screening Q+A about FC Bayern and A Life for Football

Juventus documentary "Black & White Stripes" sneak peek at K+S New York 2015

Juventus F.C. may have lost the UEFA Champions League final last week, but the legendary Italian club remains seeped in history, style, and success.

Ultimately, that's the central point of Black and White Stripes: The Juventus Story, an upcoming film about the club nicknamed La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady): Juve, its struggles, and its triumphs are reflections of Italy itself. 

Written, directed, and produced by twin brothers Marco and Mauro La Villa, Black and White Stripes explores the "famed love affair between Italy's legendary Agnelli family and their football club, Juventus F.C." That long, tumultuous love affair includes 32 Italian championships, scandal, family tragedies like something out of a Verdi opera, and some of the best players the game has ever seen. Many of those players who once wore the club's iconic black-and-white striped kit are featured in the film, including Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Del Piero, and Michel Platini.

The film is executive produced by Oscar winner David Franzoni (Gladiator, Amistad) and narrated by F. Murray Abraham. It took the La Villa brothers five years to make and includes many never-before-seen archives.

Black and White Stripes is due out later this year, but you can catch a sneak peek of it at K+S Soccer Film Festival New York 2015 on Thursday, June 25, at the Tribeca Cinemas. We will show the sneak peek before the the screenings of Standard: Le Film and Sons of Ben: The Movie.

GET TICKETS NOW! 

 

SCARVES UP! Supporters take center stage at Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival New York 2015

NEW YORK (May 6, 2015) — Hey, fans, this one’s for you.

On Wednesday, Kicking + Screening revealed the films selected for K+S New York 2015, the 7th annual edition of North America’s premier festival dedicated to the films and culture of soccer.

K+S NY 2015 runs from Tuesday, June 23, through Friday, June 26, at Manhattan’s Tribeca Cinemas.

This year’s festival boasts seven feature films focused largely on the experience of loving a club and being a supporter. From an MLS supporters group that came into existence before they had a club to support, to a small Welsh club’s rise to the Premier League, to the Jewish executive who rebuilt German giants Bayern Munich after World War Two, the stories featured at K+S New York 2015 provide reminders that the game, for most of us, is about much more than 22 people and a ball.

“This year’s lineup once again speaks to the global breadth and depth of the passion of the game,” K+S cofounder Rachel Markus says. “We have seven diverse stories from seven different countries.”

In addition to the film screenings, K+S New York 2015 will once again feature discussion panels, parties, and other soccer cultural events. More information will be released in the coming weeks.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 23 | 7:30PM ET

A Wonderful Season of Failure

2015. Italy. Director: Mario Bucci | North American premiere

  • The story of Italian club Bari’s “failure” to win promotion in 2014, a result enthusiastically welcomed by the supporters.
  • Theater 1 | TRAILER + TICKETS

Jack to a King

2014. Wales. Director: Mark Evans | New York premiere

  • The incredible, fairy-tale journey of Swansea City FC from the lower rungs of British football to the Premier League.
  • Theater 2 | TRAILER + TICKETS

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 | 7:30PM ET

United We Fall

2014. England. Director: Gary Sinyor | North American premiere

  • A satirical, improvised mockumentary about five football characters who try to make history. And utterly fail.
  • Theater 1 | TRAILER + TICKETS

Shooting for Socrates

2015. Northern Ireland. Director: James Erskine | New York premiere

  • A young boy’s football passion comes alive in tumultuous 1980s Belfast as Northern Ireland prepare to take on Brazil at the 1986 World Cup.
  • Theater 2 | TRAILER + TICKETS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 25 | 7:30PM ET

Sons of Ben: The Movie

2015. USA. Director: Jeffrey C. Bell | New York premiere

  • The story of the Philadelphia Union’s supporters group — which existed even before there was a club to support.
  • Theater 1 | TRAILER + TICKETS

Standard: The Film

2015. Belgium. Director: Benjamin Marquet | North American premiere

  • For supporters of Belgian club Standard Liege, this is what gives their lives meaning.
  • Theater 2 | TRAILER + TICKETS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 26 | 7:30PM ET 

A Life for Football

2014. Germany. Director: Hans Steinbichler | North American premiere

  • The story of Kurt Landauer, the Jewish president of Bayern Munich before WWII, who returned after the war to rebuild the club — and his life.
  • Theaters 1 + 2 | TRAILER + TICKETS

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Charitable partnership with streetfootballworld

K+S is pleased to once again partner with streetfootballworld, a worldwide network of organizations that use soccer as a tool to empower disadvantaged people.

“Streetfootballworld is delighted to continue our partnership with Kicking + Screening in 2015,” SFW Managing Director Mike Geddes says. “K+S have proven that they are committed to sharing stories of soccer changing the world and that makes them a perfect partner in advocating for the incredible power of the beautiful game. We look forward to helping K+S make this year the biggest ever”.

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For more info on K+S, including tickets and trailers go to: KickingandScreening.com | Facebook | @KSFilmFest | YouTube.com/KickingAndScreening

For more info on streetfootballworld, go to: streetfootballworld.org | @SFW_tweets