Thursday, June 11
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

641 D St NW, Washington, DC 20004

for all screenings

Give Me the Ball!

Co-Directors

Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff

Executive Producers

Jon Bardin, Tommy Coriale, Louis Mole, Isabel Davis, Jay de Andrade, Ben Lampkin, Heather Anderson, Marsha Cooke, Brian Lockhart, Burke Magnus

Co-Executive Producer

Seth Abraham

Producers

Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Dominic Crossley-Holland, Dan Cogan, Chris James, Gentry Kirby

Associate Producer

Charlotte Zonis

Archival Producers

Helen R. Russell, Andrew Mayz

Editor

Joshua L. Pearson

Cinematographers

Thorsten Thielow, Tony Hardmon

Music

Laura Karpman

Contact

A global icon whose impact on tennis and gender equality resonates worldwide, Billie Jean King has long stood as a symbol of transformation. Yet the personal cost behind that public legacy has remained largely out of view. In GIVE ME THE BALL!, we come to understand the sacrifices King was forced to make behind the scenes, even as she fought high-profile battles for the professionalization of her sport and equal treatment for women.

From navigating an unhappy marriage and concealing her sexual orientation to confronting an eating disorder and relentless misogyny, her path to victory was marked by isolation as much as achievement. Her story reaches far beyond her triumph in the “Battle of the Sexes,” revealing the persistence required to endure and overcome.

Drawing on rarely seen archival material and candid interviews with King, the film offers a clear-eyed portrait of the emotional toll behind her public success—illuminating the struggles she faced so that others might follow a less difficult path. The result is a nuanced and deeply human portrait of a figure widely admired, yet seldom understood in full.

Content Warning: This film contains references to eating disorders and discussions of personal sexuality. Viewer discretion is advised.

Co-Director, Give Me the Ball!

Liz Garbus is a two-time Emmy Award–winning and two-time Academy Award–nominated filmmaker who has directed and executive produced some of the most acclaimed documentaries and premium drama series of the past two decades. She is the co-founder of Story Syndicate. Her recent work includes the genre-defying, victim-centered series GONE GIRLS: THE LONG ISLAND SERIAL KILLER (Netflix) and ONE NIGHT IN IDAHO (Prime Video). Her landmark series HARRY & MEGHAN became one of Netflix’s most-watched documentaries.

Garbus’ extensive body of work includes THE FARM: ANGOLA, USA; WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?; BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD; NOTHING LEFT UNSAID; THE FOURTH ESTATE; I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK; ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY; and BECOMING COUSTEAU, among others. Following her Sundance-premiering narrative debut LOST GIRLS, she has continued working in scripted television, directing the season four finale of The Handmaid’s Tale (earning an Emmy nomination), as well as episodes of Yellowjackets and GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY (Hulu), on which she also serves as an executive producer. She is currently directing and executive producing a documentary on Billie Jean King for ESPN.

Over the course of her career, Garbus has received numerous honors, including two Academy Award nominations, two Primetime Emmy Awards, BAFTA and Film Independent Spirit Award nominations, and recognition from the International Documentary Association, Directors Guild of America, and Sundance Film Festival, among others.

Co-Director, Give Me the Ball!

Elizabeth Wolff is a filmmaker drawn to the ways stories from the past illuminate the present. Named to DOC NYC’s 2023 “40 Under 40,” she specializes in adapting biography, memoir, and political history into documentary and has collaborated with Liz Garbus on several acclaimed projects.