87m •
2014
'9-Man' is an independent feature documentary about an isolated and exceptionally athletic Chinese-American sport that's much more than a pastime. Since the 1930s, young men have played this gritty streetball game competitively in the alleys and parking lots of Chinatown. At a time when anti-Chinese sentiment and laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act forced Chinese restaurant workers and laundrymen to socialize exclusively amongst themselves, nine-man offered both escape and fraternity for men who were separated from their families in China and facing extreme discrimination and distrust. Pivoting between oil-spotted Chinatown parking lots and jellyfish-filled banquet scenes, the film captures the spirit of nine-man as players not only battle for a championship but fight to preserve a sport that holds so much history.
2006•
10.0
2022•
6.3
1998•
9.5
2004•
6.6
2015•
0
1949•
6.0
1993•
0
2012•
0
1958•
7.5
2007•
7.8
2013•
8.3
1978•
8.2
2012•
6.3
1943•
0
2017•
0
2012•
6.0
1996•
7.5
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0