Bend It Like Beckham

Directed by:

Gurinder Chadha

Starring:

Juliet Stevenson Parminder Nagra Keira Knightley Jonathan Rhys Meyers Anupam Kher Archie Panjabi Shaznay Lewis Frank Harper

Synopsis

Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham is a joyous, rebellious celebration of choosing your own path. Jess, a football-mad British Indian teenager, dreams of playing professionally, but her traditional Punjabi family expects a different future. Secretly joining a women’s team, she forms a vital friendship with Jules, whose encounter with Jess’s Indian culture expands their worlds. They rebel against expectations in different ways: Jess negotiates family loyalty and cultural identity, while Jules challenges restrictive ideas of femininity. Funny, energetic, and deeply generous, it celebrates two young women defying expectations through friendship, courage, and an irrepressible determination to play on their terms.

This screening is part of the 2026 BFI FAN UK- wide season Rip It Up

This is a relaxed screening

Still from Bend It Like Beckham: a women's football team in red and white kit celebrates on a pitch, one player holding a trophy aloft.

Still from Bend It Like Beckham: a man in a navy jacket and a young woman in football kit stand on a pitch talking, with another player behind them.

Still from Bend It Like Beckham: a woman in a pink outfit is surrounded by football players in red and white kit.

Still from Bend It Like Beckham: a young woman in a red and white kit raises both arms in celebration on a football pitch, with teammates behind her.

Still from Bend It Like Beckham: a group of men, some shirtless, kick a football around on a grassy park, with a girl in a white top among them.

Still from Bend It Like Beckham: a young man and a young woman face each other in close-up, their faces almost touching.

Still from Bend It Like Beckham: a football on grass beside a player's red sock and boot in the foreground, with a group of people in colourful saris standing behind a fence.