Ping Pong

 
Art & Culture

Being showcased as part of the East End Film Festival Ping Pong follows eight pensioners from across the planet as they compete in the over 80s category of the World Table Tennis Championships in Inner Mongolia: Terry (81) having been given a week to live, not only recovers, but gets in sight of winning gold; Inge (89) has used table tennis to train her way out of dementia; Australian Dorothy de Low (100) creates a sensation as the oldest competitor at the championships. With Ping Pong, you’re never too old for gold.

Ping Pong is a 80min Feature documentary. Cert PG.

Directed by UK filmmakers Hugh Hartford and produced by Anson Hartford (Banyak films) the film will be out in cinemas from 6th July 2012 in the run up to the Olympics. Ping Pong’s cast includes 90 year old British table tennis champion Les D’Arcy (pictured above) who will be an Olympic Torch bearer. With ping pong seeing a resurgence of interest through pop up spaces, bar based tournaments and celebrity enthusiasts who are also supporting this film Susan Sarandon to Boris Johnson. The UK release coincides with both the Olympics and the EU’s ‘European year for active ageing’. A programme of special launch events including indoor and outdoor inter-generational matches will run alongside the film's national screenings in partnership with Age UK and The English Table Tennis Association. The film was supported by a Wellcome Trust People Award.

Ping Pong is in cinemas 6th July and screening at the East End Film Festival, see www.pingpongfilm.co.uk