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World Service,06 Oct 2025,26 mins

Women making films about football

The Conversation

Available for over a year

Two female film directors, fascinated by the passions aroused around the world by the game of football, discuss their new movies and their reasons for making football their focus with Datshiane Navanayagam. Ragnhild Ekner is from Sweden and, inspired by her own love of the game, made the documentary Ultras. The film explores the unity, loyalty and creativity within fan groups. She filmed and spoke to some of the world's most passionate fans across Argentina, Egypt, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Sweden, Indonesia, and Great Britain to understand what motivates them to dedicate so much of their time to supporting a football club. The film captures both the effort that goes into displays of mass unity, rivalry and violence between opposition fans and police, as well as moments of striking kindness, generosity and friendship. Lisa Barros D’Sa is from Northern Ireland and the focus of her film, Saipan, is an infamous falling-out between footballer Roy Keane and his then manager of the Republic of Ireland, Mick McCarthy. Set in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup campaign, at its heart is the intense rivalry between two big personalities and charts one of the most fractious fallings-out in the history of sport. A row that made headline news around the world. Both films are showing at the 69th BFI London Film Festival which runs from 8-19 October at venues in London and across the UK. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Ragnhild Ekner credit Annika Elizabeth von Hausswolff. (R), Lisa Barros D'Sa credit Getty Images.)

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