Give Me The Ball! Opens Croatian International Film Festival

The story of one of the most influential athletes in history is set to reach an international audience in a major way this summer as Give Me The Ball!, ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 documentary about tennis icon Billie Jean King, has been selected to open the third annual Croatia International Film Festival.

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According to Variety, the documentary, directed by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus and filmmaker Elizabeth Wolff, will kick off the festival on July 24 in the coastal Croatian city of Šibenik.
The screening will mark the film’s international debut following its acclaimed premiere earlier this year at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.
Centered on the life and legacy of tennis pioneer Billie Jean King, Give Me The Ball! chronicles not only her remarkable achievements on the court but also her transformative role in advancing gender equality, athlete activism, and LGBTQ+ visibility. Through interviews with King, her wife Ilana Kloss, fellow tennis legend Chris Evert, and longtime friend Elton John, the documentary paints a comprehensive portrait of a woman whose impact extends far beyond sports.
The opening-night screening will take place in Šibenik’s Main City Square, providing a dramatic setting for a film that celebrates courage, determination, and social change. ESPN will further enhance the event with a special video introduction from King herself, offering festival attendees a direct connection to the subject of the documentary.
Garbus and Wolff expressed their excitement about bringing the film to audiences outside the United States, noting that King’s story resonates far beyond the tennis world.
“We are thrilled to bring Billie Jean King’s story to a global audience,” the filmmakers said in a joint statement. “We hope that the attendees watching the film are as wowed as we were by Billie Jean’s story of being a selfless warrior who put everything on the line for her community.”
The documentary arrives at a time when King’s legacy continues to inspire new generations. Over the course of her career, she became one of the most influential figures in sports history, fighting for equal prize money and opportunities for women athletes. Her efforts helped reshape professional tennis and laid the groundwork for broader conversations about equality in sports and society.
Garbus and Wolff spent two years developing the project, which features never-before-seen archival material from King’s personal collection as well as contributions from tennis fans around the world. The filmmakers said they hope audiences will discover new dimensions of King’s life, whether they are longtime admirers or learning about her for the first time.
“We need people who have fought the hard fights and who have come through the other side,” the directors said. “We are excited for those that know about Billie Jean King to see her through a new prism and for others to discover her incredible story for the first time.”
The selection also represents another milestone for the rapidly growing Croatia International Film Festival, which has emerged as one of the region’s most ambitious cultural events in just three years.
Founded by Croatian-American actress and producer Ella Mische, the festival launched in 2024 and immediately attracted attention for bringing international cinema to Croatia’s Adriatic coast. Mische conceived the festival during the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023, a period when many industry professionals faced uncertainty about the future.
“During that time, I saw a lot of my friends become depressed,” Mische explained. “With friends in New York and L.A., the topic of conversation was about how there was no work. I thought to myself, ‘Now is the time to create.’”
That vision has quickly paid off. The inaugural festival opened with the film La Cocina starring Rooney Mara, while last year’s edition launched with The Friend featuring Bill Murray and Naomi Watts.
For 2026, festival organizers reviewed more than 1,200 submissions from around the globe, the largest and most competitive pool in the event’s history. After months of evaluation, the team narrowed the field to 15 feature films, 16 short films, and 14 student projects.
Among the documentaries screening during the festival are Little Satchmo and No Place Like Home, while the event will conclude with Copeland, a documentary examining the life and career of Stewart Copeland. The closing-night screening will take place at the historic Fortress Barone, one of Šibenik’s most recognizable landmarks.
Reflecting on the festival’s rapid rise, Mische said she is grateful to see her vision embraced by filmmakers and audiences alike.
“It makes me happy that the need I saw in the market was recognized quicker than I ever could have dreamt of,” she said. “My trial festival has worked.”
With a documentary celebrating one of sports’ greatest trailblazers opening the event and an increasingly impressive international lineup filling its schedule, the Croatia International Film Festival appears poised for its biggest year yet.

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ESPN’s Billie Jean King Documentary "Give Me The Ball!" to Open Croatia International Film Festival

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