Badalona, October 24th, 2025
- The screening will close the 51st edition of the film festival with a special session at the Teatre Zorrilla in Badalona on Monday, October 27th, at 8 p.m.
The 51st edition of the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival will conclude with a highly anticipated premiere: the feature-length documentary From Badalona to Brooklyn, produced by Badalona Comunicació in co-production with La Xarxa and RTVE, and with the participation of 3Cat. The film traces the journey of Badalona-born coach Jordi Fernández, from his childhood in the Canyadó neighborhood to becoming the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets — the first Spanish coach to lead an NBA team, the world’s premier basketball league.
Filmed between New York and Badalona, the documentary features, in addition to Jordi Fernández himself, leading sports figures such as Ricky Rubio, Pep Guardiola, Rudy Fernández, Anna Cruz, Jordi Villacampa, Sergio Scariolo, Mike Brown and Juancho Hernangómez, among others. It also includes testimonies from family and friends, local basketball clubs, the Canyadó Neighborhood Association, and students from La Riera High School.
From Badalona to Brooklyn is directed by journalists Xavi Ballesteros and Montse López, together with filmmaker Raül López, from Badalona Comunicació—the public company that manages the city’s media outlets and organizes the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival.
Jordi Fernández, born in Badalona, is the first Spanish coach ever to lead an NBA franchise. In a city where basketball is part of everyday life, he belongs to a lineage of athletes from Badalona who have carried the city’s name around the world, such as Ricky Rubio, Anna Cruz, Rudy Fernández, and Jordi Villacampa.
The documentary also highlights the significance of basketball in Badalona, home to more than thirty clubs, including Club Joventut Badalona, and shares stories from those who grew up playing on the city’s outdoor courts. Fernández, who trained with “La Penya” and grew up in Canyadó, fondly remembers the neighborhood court known as La Gàbia (“The Cage”). After years of neglect, the court has been revitalized through a social project promoted by Fernández himself, aiming to restore it as a gathering and play space for local children and young people.
The premiere of From Badalona to Brooklyn will take place on Monday, October 27th, at 8 p.m. at the Teatre Zorrilla in Badalona, in an invitation-only screening.
