FACT OR FICTION: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A PING PONG HUSTLER Exclusive Clip Premiere

By Michael Tully

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If you don’t recognize the figure in the above photo, does he nonetheless not tickle your fancy? Of course he does. That’s pretty much what Marty Reisman did every day of his spectacular life, which sadly ended in December of 2012 at the ripe old age of 82. A wunderkind ping pong champion straight outta New York City, Reisman eventually downshifted out of competitive table tennis in order to become a showman for the sport. Most notably, he refused to concede to modern times, sticking with his hardbat sandpaper paddle (which, if you didn’t know, creates a glorious thwack in contrast to the current era’s poofy, it’s-all-about-the-spin sponge bat approach). Leo Leigh’s Fact or Fiction: The Life And Times Of A Ping Pong Hustler pays tribute to Reisman over the course of its 60 minutes, but more than merely succeeding as a tender love letter to this iconic man, it preserves an old-school New York City style and spirit that is dwindling by the minute. Thanks to Gravitas Ventures, who release the film on VOD on August 1, 2014 (pre-order it on iTunes right now), we are here to premiere one of my very favorite clips from the movie, in which the Sandman sets up a ball machine in order to show you amateurs how it’s done. Enjoy!

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Fact or Fiction: The Life And Times Of A Ping Pong Hustler Gravitas Ventures Leo Leigh Marty Reisman ping pong table tennis

Michael Tully

Michael Tully is an award-winning writer/director whose films have garnered widespread critical acclaim, his projects having premiered at some of the most renowned film festivals across the globe. He is also the former (and founding) editor of this site. In 2006, Michael's first feature, COCAINE ANGEL, chronicling a tragic week in the life of a young drug addict, world premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film immediately solidified the director as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s "25 New Faces of Independent Film,” a reputation that was reinforced a year later when his follow-up feature, SILVER JEW, a documentary capturing the late David Berman's rare musical performances in Tel Aviv, world-premiered at SXSW and landed distribution with cult indie-music label Drag City. In 2011, Michael wrote, directed, and starred in his third feature, SEPTIEN, which debuted at the 27th annual Sundance Film Festival before being acquired by IFC Films' Sundance Selects banner. A few years later, in 2014, Michael returned to Sundance with the world premiere of his fourth feature, PING PONG SUMMER, an ‘80s set coming-of-age tale that was quickly picked up for theatrical distribution by Gravitas Ventures. In 2018, Michael wrote and directed the dread-inducing genre film DON'T LEAVE HOME, which has been described as "Get Out with Catholic guilt in the Irish countryside" (IndieWire). The film premiered at SXSW and was subsequently acquired by Cranked Up Films and Shudder.

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