BCN Sports Film Festival side activities

Talks and a professional session to go beyond the screen

The BCN Sports Film Festival is not only experienced in the cinema. This edition features a programme of side activities designed for audiences to talk, debate and go deeper into the themes explored in the films: teamwork, sustainability, mental health, the female gaze in sports filmmaking, and work–life balance in professional sport.

Below you’ll find all side activities open to the public (talks and a professional session), including dates, venues and participants.

PROFESSIONAL SESSION (INDUSTRY)

Mon 23 · 11:00 · Olympic Museum

PAC Session — “How to address the legal side of making a documentary”
A practical session for creators and professionals covering image rights, the use of archive footage, privacy issues and other common legal aspects of documentary production.

Speakers:

Cristina Calvet, lawyer specialised in audiovisual and cultural law
Elisa Berger, audiovisual documentary maker, founding member of ADAE
Moderator: Eva Fontanals, Vice-President of Productors Audiovisuals de Catalunya (PAC)

TALKS (AFTER SCREENING)

Tue 24 · 11:00 · INEFC

“The value of the team” — Talk
Two Olympic water polo champions share how a team is built from the inside: roles, the balance between youth and experience, starter/substitute dynamics, and their impact on cohesion and performance.

Participants:

Laura Ester, Olympic champion water polo player
Martina Terre, Olympic champion water polo player
Marcelí Massafret, coach and team manager (water polo and tennis)
Moderator: Matilde Ortiz, journalist and waterpolo olympic medalist

Tue 24 · 18:30 · Olympic Museum

“Waves of change” — Talk
A conversation connecting cinema, sport and environmental commitment: stories that look to the sea and invite reflection on sustainability, impact and action.

Participants:

Carlos Sánchez Llibre, director of Sense timó. Per un mar lliure de plàstics
Philippe Mistral, director of Banda, une odyssée dans les îles oubliées d’Indonésie
Gerard Esteva, President of UFEC
Table coordinated by: Mariana Dornelles, educational projects (Fundació Carulla)

Tue 24 · 19:00 · Cines Imperial (Sabadell)

“Laure: mental health and privacy” — Talk
A space to discuss media exposure, identity and psychological wellbeing in elite sport, inspired by Laure Manaudou’s story.

Participants:

María Teresa Pérez (Brain Film Festival – Fundació Pasqual Maragall), table coordination
Dennis González, artistic swimmer
Raul Romeva, researcher in sport and values

Wed 25 · 18:00 · Cinemes Girona

“Women Direct” — Talk
“Directing, producing, and changing the game”: a conversation about the female gaze in sports filmmaking, industry challenges, and how narratives are shaped from new perspectives.

Participants:

Mireia Vicente, director of El método Fuentes
Trini Gutiérrez, director of El gran show
Cristina Malo, director of Playing Field
Table coordination: Josep Maria Farràs, head of sports broadcasting and programming at 3Cat.

Wed 25 · 18:00 · Biblioteca Bon Pastor

“Photo-memory” — Sports Cinema Special — Bon Pastor/Josefina Castellví Library (C/Estadella 64)

An interactive presentation where, through images related to the world of sport and Olympism, a collective story will be built—recalling past times that have shaped the present.

Sun 1 · 18:00 · Cinemes Girona

“Mother and Footballer” — Talk
Motherhood on and off the pitch: work–life balance, career paths and resilience in women’s football. A necessary conversation to break silences and highlight what many athletes experience privately.

Participants:

Ona Carbonell, panish Olympic medallist in artistic swimming
Francesc Terrón, director of Fundació Barcelona Olímpica

Practical information

We recommend checking availability on the festival website and booking as soon as possible.

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Last News

Ona Carbonell leads the Mother & Footballer talk on motherhood and elite sport

02/03/2026

BCN Sports Film Festival has lived today, Sunday 1 March, a day featuring two sessions that connect cinema and conversation. The main highlight took place at Cinemes Girona with the screening of Mother & Footballer and the post-screening talk with Ona Carbonell, President of the Motherhood & Sport Commission of the Spanish Olympic Committee, alongside Francesc Terrón, Director of the Barcelona Olympic Foundation (Fundació Barcelona Olímpica). Cinemes Girona | Mother & Footballer: a much-needed look at motherhood in professional football The session focused on a reality that is still not widely visible in elite sport: what happens when motherhood becomes part of a professional career shaped by demands, tight calendars, public exposure and job uncertainty. The documentary offers a collective portrait that invites reflection on work–life balance, rights, real support systems and the often invisible obstacles many athletes face in order to keep competing. Parallel activity | Motherhood on and off the pitch: naming the challenges After the screening, the talk expanded the discussion through lived experience and an institutional lens, addressing topics such as the pressure to return, the physical and emotional management of the process, the lack of role models, the role of clubs and organisations in protecting athletes, and the need to ensure motherhood does not become an endpoint in a sporting career. Ona Carbonell

“Las voces del despeñadero”, winner of the 16th edition of the BCN Sports Film Festival

01/03/2026

The 16th edition of the BCN Sports Film Festival held its Closing and Award Ceremony this afternoon at the Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport Joan

Andrea Fuentes, the artistic swimming team and director Mireia Vicente bring El mètode Fuentes to Cinemes Girona in “The Art of Effort”

27/02/2026

BCN Sports Film Festival experienced today at Cinemes Girona one of its most anticipated events with the session “The Art of Effort”, devoted to highlighting everything that sustains high performance beyond the final result: daily discipline, trust, leadership and the behind-the-scenes work of building a team. One of the day’s key moments was the screening of the documentary El mètode Fuentes, which offers a window into the meticulous, human work behind excellence: training routines, decision-making, pressure management and the delicate balance between demanding standards and care that shapes everyday life at the elite level. A portrait of high performance from the inside The session resonated with a simple yet powerful idea: effort is not a moment—it is a method. Through the film, audiences were able to get closer to the “backstage” of performance: repetition, technique, patience, group cohesion and the mental strength required to sustain the process when there is no applause. Special guests in attendance The screening welcomed Andrea Fuentes, as well as the artistic swimming team, who accompanied the session in a very special showing. Mireia Vicente, director of the documentary, was also present, bringing the creative process and the perspective behind the camera closer to the audience. The session was also attended by Raphaëlle Brissette, director of Sirene. Cinema that highlights the invisible With sessions like “The Art of Effort”, BCN Sports Film Festival reaffirms its commitment to stories that value invisible work—what doesn’t appear on the scoreboard, yet explains almost everything.

Over 1400 students take part in the BCN Sports Film Festival 2026 in-person school screenings

27/02/2026

BCN Sports Film Festival has held its in-person school screenings, bringing sports cinema to 1467 students from 27 schools. The programme is designed to be explored in the classroom—through emotion and discussion—focusing on values such as commitment, justice and social change, with screenings and dialogue spaces tailored to students. Cinema to reflect, share and discuss Throughout the week, the festival welcomed school groups at its venues, with a selection of films that invite students to talk about overcoming challenges, coexistence, inclusion and responsibility, presenting sport not only as competition, but also as an educational and transformative tool. “Prenent consciència”: the Acció Cinema session with AE Ramassà as ambassador organisation A key highlight within the school programme was “Prenent consciència”, presented within the framework of Acció Cinema, with AE Ramassà as the ambassador organisation this year. The session included the screening of the short film Soka, co-directed by AE Ramassà, which takes viewers into Kibera (Kenya) through a journey combining sport and solidarity. After the screening, students took part in a post-film dialogue with Tijan Konteh, Head of Awareness-Raising at AE Ramassà, expanding the conversation on how sport can become a driver of awareness and social action. School sessions continue online Following the success of the in-person screenings, schools can now continue to enjoy the BCN Sports Film Festival online. This format allows more educational centres to access the festival’s special programme, offering the opportunity to explore the values of sport and cinema from the classroom.