The 14th edition of Athletic Club Foundation’s international film festival will feature a total of eight feature-length films and two short films from November 9 until November 14, opening with a screening of “Kenny Dalglish”, who will be in Bilbao alongside Liverpool legends Bruce Grobbelaar and Sammy Lee
The Athletic Club Foundation has unveiled the programme for the 2026 Thinking Football Film Festival, an annual event showcasing the best football-related films from around the world.
Over five days, from November 9-14, Bilbao’s Sala BBK screen eight feature films and two short films from different countries, all of which explore some of the festival’s most recognisable themes: memory, identity, inclusion, resilience, community and sport’s immense transformative power.
Throughout the week, the festival will once again bring together extraordinary stories that reaveal the diversity of perspectives that football offers. From the sport’s greatest icons to individuals and communities who have relied on it as a means of rebuilding their lives, asserting their identity or simply finding their place in the world.
The offical presentation of Thinking Football 2026 was led by Johana Ruiz-Olabuenaga, Athletic Club’s director of community relations, Galder Reguera, Athletic Club Foundation’s director of strategy, and Koldo Bilbao, BBK’s culture co-ordinator.
For further information, the Thinking Football website contains more details about this year’s festival, as well as other sections dedicated to previous editions and the Audience Award winners.
Admission is free, but you must book a ticket online HERE
*All times are CET.
Monday 9: “Kenny Dalglish” (19:00)
“Kenny Dalglish” will open the 2026 Thinking Football Film Festival. The highly-praised documentary is directed by the Oscar-winning Asif Kapadia, one of the leading figures in contemporary documentary cinema thanks to works such as “Amy”, “Senna” and “Diego Maradona” – the latter of which will also be screened during the festival.
“Kenny Dalglish” offers an intimate and moving portrait of one of British football’s greatest legends, tracing Dalglish’s career from his early days in Glasgow to his rise as a symbol for Liverpool FC and the entire city. Beyond sport, the film is a reflection on leadership, community, resilience and legacy.
After the screening, the director Asif Kapadia will have a conversation with Liverpool legends Bruce Grobbelaar and Sammy Lee, moderated by The Guardian journalist Sid Lowe.
Tuesday 10: “The Club That George Built” (11:00), “Diego Maradona” (17:30) & “The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel” (19:00)
The day will begin with a special screening of our 2025 Audience Award winner for schools: “The Club That George Built”. It tells the inspiring story of George Dowell and how he transformed his childhood club, Worthing FC, following an accident that changed his life forever.
At 17:30, we’ll show “Diego Maradona”, one of Asif Kapadia’s best-known works. Compiled from hundreds of hours of previously unseen footage, the documentary traces the brilliant and turbulent life of Diego Armando Maradona, one of the most influential footballers of all time.
The day will conclude with “The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel”, a moving story about identity, secrets and reconciliation that follows the life of Tony Powell, a former Norwich City prospect who disappeared from the world of football for decades.
Thursday 12: “Tony Cascarino: Extra Time” (18:00) and short films “Kutte” + “360 Pieces” (20:00)
The evening session will begin with “Tony Cascarino: Extra Time”, a documentary directed by Sean Casey that examines the extraordinary career of former Irish international Tony Cascarino, from his early days as a barber’s apprentice to becoming one of his country’s greatest footballers.
This will be followed by a special screening of two short films: “Kutte” and “360 Pieces”. The former takes a humorous look at football fan culture through a unique road trip, whilst the latter offers an original reflection on memory, the passage of time and human connections, based on an old football photograph.
Friday 13: “Beacon of Hope: The Grenfell Athletic Story” (18:00) & “The Match” (20:00)
On Friday, Thinking Football has scheduled two films that explore the social and cultural aspects of football. “Beacon of Hope: The Grenfell Athletic Story”, directed by Theo Lee Ray, tells the story of how Grenfell Athletic – a club founded in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy – became a rallying point and a symbol of hope for a community scarred by loss.
At 20:00, we’ll screen “The Match”, a documentary that examines the historic quarter-final clash between Argentina and England at the 1986 World Cup. Through previously unseen footage and testimonies from those involved, the film reflects on how that match transcended sport to become one of the most iconic moments in football history.
Saturday 14: “Shooting for Socrates” (18:00) and “Another League” (20:00)
At 18:00, the festival will screen “Shooting for Socrates”, a heart-warming film set in Belfast in 1985 and directed by James Erskine. Told through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy, the film combines football, family and historical context in an inspiring story about overcoming adversity.
Thinking Football’s curtain closer focuses on women’s football the film “Pioneras” (‘Another League’ is the offical English language title). This feature-length production tells the story of the women who defied the social norms of early 1970s Spain to blaze a trail in a sport that seemed reserved exclusively for men.
Cinema
