Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh until Thu 04 Jul

James Erskine, Zara Hayes / UK / 2013 / 83 mins

This year marked the 40th Anniversary of the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association, a group that fought hard and fast for gender equality in tennis and who now represent 2,500 players from 92 nations that compete for more than $100m in prize money. That same year, founder Billie Jean King played Bobby Riggs in the ultimate battle of the sexes; the most watched tennis match of all time and a defining moment in the sport’s history. James Erskine’s documentary reflects on the time, the people and the game itself.

With interviews from King and archive footage of Riggs, a very clear picture is painted of an era in which outward sexism was tolerated and in some cases, championed. It’s a concise film that merely aims to convey the facts, and so it does, letting the viewers make up their own minds. And yet, the evidence is overwhelming: women’s tennis would be nowhere without King and her band of merry women. A contribution from Venus Williams brings the significance to the modern day. After Andy Murray being incorrectly branded by some headlines as the first British Wimbledon winner in 77 years (in reality, four British women have won the championship in that time), we might not be quite as far ahead as we once thought; athletes and feminists like King are needed now as much as ever.

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