Set in the cut-throat world of international table tennis, Ping Pong is a documentary that features skilled competitors, fierce rivalry and intense performances in the fight to become world champion. There are medals, tears and twitchy nerves. The action criss-crosses the globe from England to Inner Mongolia, where the world championships are held in a stadium full of supporters no less ecstatic than at an international football match. Again and again you are amazed by the mental strength – not to mention fitness – that drives its devotees. And like all great documentaries it lifts the lid on a world you never knew existed. These gladiators of the ping-pong table in their 80s and 90s put the rest of us to shame.
“It is about ageing, mortality, friendship, ambition and love. The stories stay with you for hours, weeks, after the credits have rolled.” – Matthew Syed – The Times
The film was followed by a Q/A, with:
- Mr. Hugh Hartford (Director),
- Ms. Anne-Sophie Parent (Secretary General of AGE Platform Europe),
- Mr. Ralf Jacob (Head of Active Ageing Unit – DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Integration).