Our Closing Night Gala presentation is already a smash hit in its native United Kingdom, and received ovations at both the Toronto Film Festival and Sundance. Set to open next week in New York, we are very pleased to bring award-winning filmmaker Gurinder Chadha‚s Bend it Like Beckham to Boise.

This charming British comedy mixes rousing soccer action with an infectious, Bollywood-like zest. All eighteen-year-old Jess Bhamra wants to do is play soccer with the lads at the local park and dream about her idol, the English soccer star David Beckham. Her traditional Sikh parents are horrified and don‚t want the neighbor families whispering about their daughter running around with her legs bared for all the world to see. With preparations under way for her sister Pinky‚s wedding, Jess is invited by an admiring soccer fanatic to try out for the Hounslow Harriers, an all-women‚s team. As Jess pursues her dream behind her parents back˜and worse, falls in love with Joe, the Irish coach˜she is forced to choose between family tradition and following her own heart.

Bend it Like Beckham is an irresistible, light-hearted romp destined to become a modern coming-of-age classic. A great time is guaranteed for all.