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In all the world, no country has made as big an impact on football as Brazil. Its greatest international successes came in the Sixties and Seventies, so it’s bizarre to think that during that whole period, women were forbidden to play. When, in 1983, that ban was finally lifted, the idea of their participation still carried a whiff of scandal as far as much of the Brazilian public was concerned. Directors José Antonio Garcia and Francisco ‘Ícaro’ Martins seized the opportunity with both hands and created this exuberant sex comedy about all the things that the players in such a team might get up to.

According to Martins, it wasn’t the sex that got them in trouble, as such, but their relaxed, inclusive approach to queer characters and the fact that female characters did what they wanted without being brought back into line by men. At any rate, the military dictatorship.

BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival (March 19-30) has unveiled its full line-up, with 56 features across three strands, exploring subjects such as Kenya’s ballroom scene and the appeal of dating apps.

The programme has films and shorts from 41 countries, with six world premiere features. These include Kenyan filmmaker Njoroge Muthoni’s documentaryHow To Live, which explores Nairobi’s vibrant ballroom scene and celebrates queer African joy.

In Yu-jin Lee’s Manok, the owner of a South Korean lesbian bar must return to her small hometown after clashing with the city’s younger queer community.

Buenos Aires-set comedy drama Few...