THE APEX TIMES
Billie Jean King says she asked for “the truth” behind documentary Give Me the Ball! as DC/DOX opens in Washington
The documentary festival opened Thursday night with a film centered on tennis icon Billie Jean King, who joined a post-screening discussion to explain her approach to the project.
DC/DOX, a documentary film festival in Washington, D.C., opened Thursday night with the premiere of Give Me the Ball!, a documentary about Billie Jean King’s career and cultural impact. The film’s opening event included a screening followed by a live discussion with King, according to Deadline, as the festival kicked off its run with King in attendance.
King, 82, participated in the onstage conversation after the screening, where she addressed how she wanted her story to be handled in the documentary process. Deadline reported that King said she did not want the film to function as a vanity project, and instead focused on what she described as “the truth.”
The discussion framed King’s involvement around her view of how public figures should be portrayed in documentary work, emphasizing accuracy and substance rather than a celebratory or self-promotional presentation. Deadline characterized the film as exploring both King’s tennis career and the broader cultural effects associated with her public life and influence.
Give Me the Ball! was presented as one of the festival’s early high-profile programming entries at DC/DOX, a venue for nonfiction storytelling in the nation’s capital. With King appearing directly for the post-screening portion, the event also operated as a public-facing moment connecting the documentary content to King’s own perspective.
Festival programming of this kind typically draws audiences interested in the intersection of sports, media, and social history, and the presence of the subject can shape how viewers understand the material being screened. In this case, King’s comments after the film underscored her stated preference that the project be grounded in verifiable realities rather than a curated personal image, Deadline reported.
Why It Matters
- A subject’s direct participation can influence how documentary audiences interpret the film, especially when the subject emphasizes factual grounding.
- King’s comments about avoiding a vanity format highlight ongoing expectations for documentary integrity when public figures collaborate with filmmakers.
- DC/DOX’s opening night selection positions the project as a mainstream cultural touchpoint that connects sports history with wider nonfiction storytelling in a major media market.
- Because King attended the screening and discussion, the film’s public reception is linked to her publicly stated approach to how her story should be presented.
Key Facts
- DC/DOX opened Thursday night in Washington, D.C., with a screening of Give Me the Ball!, a documentary about Billie Jean King.
- King, 82, attended the event and took part in a discussion after the screening, according to Deadline.
- Deadline reported King said she did not want the documentary to be a vanity project and that she wanted “the truth.”
- The film is described as examining King’s tennis career and her cultural impact.
- The event took place at a DC/DOX festival screening during the festival’s early opening programming.