“AN ABSORBING DOCUMENTARY” -Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

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PRAISE FOR 9-MAN

“an absorbing documentary” -Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

“informative and tremendously entertaining work by a talented new voice in documentary filmmaking" "a must see for viewers interested in either sports of Asian American studies" -Douglas King, Library Journal

a “lively, layered debut documentary” -Peter Keough, The Boston Globe

“Part cultural anthropology, part sports film, 9-Man, which aired on PBS’s America ReFramed series, is highly recommended.” -C. Cassady, Video Librarian Magazine

“This illuminating look at a little known sport has the universal appeal of action, humor, and cultural depth. Director Liang chronicles the past and present of the aggressive, fast-moving ballgame of 9-Man, a demanding team sport that originated in the streets of North America’s Chinatowns in the 1930s. Liang delves into the historical circumstances that birthed 9-Man, and doesn’t shy away from questioning the exclusionary aspects that attend its present-day organized form.” -Barbara Scharres, Gene Siskel Film Center

“9-Man provides a rich, intimate and often thrilling look inside a uniquely Chinese and Asian American sport that has been sustained by the dedication and passions of its community supporters through decades of racial exclusion, hardship, and acculturation. It should be required viewing for anyone seeking to understand the many diverse strands of American heritage.” -Scott Kurashige, University of Washington Bothell

"An engrossing, vibrant look at the lead-up to Chinatown's national streetball tournament. Ursula Liang succeeds in capturing 9-Man's characteristic attitude, humor, and swagger. This is a sports story, and a damn good one." -Bonnie Tsui, author of American Chinatown: A People's History of Five Neighborhoods

“9-Man is an exceptional work. It documents a little-known piece of Chinese American cultural history, highlighting the ways in which Chinatown's immigrant community found pride and integrity in the margins, building a sport that is wholly their own. It is a riveting, deftly-told story about tradition and identity, the arc that connects Taishan to Boston, and the ways in which distant generations come alive, together, on city asphalt, around a repurposed volleyball." -Hua Hsu, Vassar College

"9-Man is a mesmerizing exploration of a hidden world of honor and glory, brotherhood and betrayal, cutthroat rivalry and noble sacrifice, as epic as any ancient tale of warlords and warriors. Except here the era is now, the field of battle is the volleyball court, and the combatants are hard-working ordinary joes playing their hearts out for a year's worth of bragging rights. In deft and witty fashion, Liang's must-see documentary reveals a dimension of the Chinese immigrant community that's usually overlooked by those who observe it as strangers: The rough and tumble world of all-in amateur athletic competition." -Jeff Yang, Wall Street Journal Online

“9-Man is a remarkable work. Technically adroit with camera, sequencing, editing. I liked the film very much while watching - the personal statements accented by portaits - but the overall effect was more than visual, you tell a story that is new to me - of how the game has become a centerpiece for maintaining an aspect of the old world in the new. For me, the classic Chinatown will henceforth raise my interest beyond the quaint.” -Raymond Lifchez, University of California, Berkeley