The Filmoteca de Catalunya is devoting two consecutive sessions to exploring the role of women in football and their representation in cinema, as part of the cycle “The Rules of the Game. Cinema and Sport”. The screenings form part of the research project FUCAV (Football and Visual Culture under Francoism), which examines how audiovisual media have constructed imaginaries around sport and, in particular, female presence.

The first film on the programme is Quiero ser como Beckham (Bend It Like Beckham, 2002), directed by Gurinder Chadha, to be shown on Thursday 18 September at 6 p.m.. Regarded as a landmark in the depiction of women’s football, the film interweaves stories of friendship and love with intercultural tensions and social aspirations. The work, which achieved major international success, has been analysed by the theorist Sarah Ahmed, who in The Promise of Happiness explores the narratives of integration and multicultural success that the film conveys.

A week later, on 25 September at 6 p.m., the spotlight will be on Hoy partido a las tres (2017), the debut feature by Argentine filmmaker Clarisa Navas. Shot with non-professional actresses, it portrays an amateur women’s football team awaiting the start of a match on a pitch at the city’s periphery. Against this backdrop, the director traces relationships of affection, rivalries and queer desires, alongside the often elusive dream of breaking into the professional game.

Both screenings, which will be introduced by the research team, extend the dialogue between cinema and sport that the Filmoteca has pursued this summer through the cycle “The Rules of the Game”, linked to the exhibition CITISSIMUM ALTISSIMUM FORTISSIMUM, recently on display at the Centre d’Arts Santa Mònica.