Thinking Football Film – Festival

Kenny Dalglish is an intimate and moving portrait of one of the greatest legends in football history. Directed by Asif Kapadia, the documentary reconstructs the life and career of Kenny Dalglish through his own words and an extraordinary collection of previously unseen archival footage. From his early years in Glasgow and his golden era at Liverpool to his pivotal role during the club’s most difficult times, the film portrays not only a successful footballer and manager, but also the man who became a symbol for an entire city. Beyond sport, it is a story of leadership, community, resilience and legacy.

After a life-changing accident, George Dowell finds his purpose by transforming the football club and team of his childhood, Worthing FC. The film documents George’s first-hand account of living with a disability, as he pursues a career while fighting for his club’s promotion.

He was the greatest, and he also fell to the deepest depths. The story of one of the greatest footballers in history, seen through the eyes of Asif Kapadia (Amy). Built around 500 hours of previously unseen footage, this documentary explores the career and personal life of the acclaimed football icon Diego Armando Maradona, revealing the man behind the legend.

In the 1970s, Tony Powell was one of the brightest prospects at Norwich City before suddenly disappearing from the world of football, leaving behind his career, his family, and countless unanswered questions. Decades later, he lives at the Holloway Motel in West Hollywood, where he serves as both manager and sole resident. When the motel faces permanent closure, Tony is forced to confront the past he has spent years trying to leave behind. Through a story of secrets, loss, identity and reconciliation, the documentary reconstructs the extraordinary life of a man whose destiny was forever shaped by the choices he made.

This documentary traces the extraordinary life of Tony Cascarino, the striker who went from being a trainee hairdresser in Kent to becoming one of the leading figures of the Republic of Ireland national team and an icon of French football.

A chance find at the flea market: an old football-fan vest, covered with the patches and slogans of the football team SV Darmstadt. To whom did it once belong? Moreover, what is behind the phenomenon? Those colourful, never-washed denim frocks worn by rock fans at heavy metal concerts or football fans in sports stadiums? A good-humoured road trip exploring passion, rivalry, and belonging.

360 Pieces follows Olle, a man obsessed with vintage jigsaw puzzles from the 1970s depicting anonymous people frozen in time. When he discovers a puzzle showing an intense football scene, he sets out to find the six players featured in the image and uncover what became of them, as well as what it means to be immortalized in a single moment. Piece by piece, a story emerges about memory, the mistakes that shape a lifetime, and the invisible connections that bind people across time. An intriguing and deeply moving documentary about the search for the missing piece that gives meaning to the whole picture.

Beacon of Hope: The Grenfell Athletic Story tells the inspiring story of Grenfell Athletic, a football club founded in the aftermath of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. By following a pivotal season, the documentary shows how the team became a gathering point for a community marked by loss and grief. More than just a football club, Grenfell Athletic represents the power of sport to create connections, foster resilience, and inspire hope. It is a moving portrait of football’s transformative impact when a community is striving to rebuild itself.

The Match revisits the legendary 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England, a game that transcended sport to become a historic event. Through rare archival footage and first-hand accounts from players on both sides, the documentary explores how ninety minutes of football came to embody political tensions, collective memory, and the enduring legacy of Diego Armando Maradona.

Shooting for Socrates follows a nine-year-old boy in the troubled Belfast of 1985 as he makes sense of his divided world through football and the philosophical teachings of his father, while the Northern Ireland national team prepares to face Brazil at the 1986 World Cup.

In early 1970s Spain, with Francoism still deeply rooted in society, a group of very young women decided to play football in a country that had no place for them in the sport. Along the way, they found an unexpected ally: a sports promoter who was as bold as he was visionary. Together, and against all odds, they challenged the system and laid the foundations for a struggle that would forever change the history of women’s football in Spain.