In this personal and rousing documentary, Joan Chen charts the inspiring life and career of “Jenny” Lang Ping, a fearless and independent Olympic athlete who propels China to international prominence in volleyball. On the court, her most effective weapon is her lethal spike, hence her titular nickname, while her leadership skills and calm demeanor solidify her unique status as the first player and coach to win multiple World Championships and Olympic gold. Chen, in her documentary feature debut, skillfully combines thrilling excerpts from championship games, intimate conversations with Lang Ping, her colleagues, and players to craft an entertaining and multi-dimensional portrait of this groundbreaking athlete who transformed women’s volleyball.
The Witches of the Orient (2021)
The Japanese volleyball players called the “Oriental Witches” are now in their 70s. From the formation of the team at the factory until their victory at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, memories and legends rise to the surface and blend inextricably.
The Optimists (2013)
A documentary about an unusual volleyball team in Hamar, Norway, with ladies aged from 66 to 98. Now they are up for their first match, after 30 years of training.
Hitting the Ceiling (2023)
The story behind the growth of women's and girls' volleyball in the United States and how it continues to bolster and empower young women in their development. Featuring direct interviews with players, coaches, and families, as well as footage of the 2022 Big South Qualifier tournament.
Rise of the Wahine (2014)
In the years following the Civil Rights movement and the passage of Title IX in 1972, Dr. Donnis Thompson (a headstrong African-American female coach), Patsy Mink (the first Asian-American U.S. congresswoman), and Beth McLachlin (the team captain of a rag-tag female volleyball team), battled discrimination from the halls of Washington D.C. to the dusty volleyball courts of the University of Hawaii, fighting for the rights of young women to play sports.
Miles (2017)
High school senior Miles Walton joins the girls volleyball team in hopes of winning a college scholarship, which causes an uproar in his small Illinois farming town.
Amore Mio (2015)
The extramarital adventures of a female volleyball team coach, a best friend and a buddy who fall in love at the same woman a hopelessly mismatched relationship and a marriage of disaster entangled in the most unpredictable way.
Crazy Wild and Crazy (1964)
A photographer tries to show us in the audience how to make a nudie-cutie, only for everything to go totally wrong.
Find Your Why (NaN)
A freshman recruit on the Liberty Men's Volleyball Team fights to make the starting roster as an outside hitter in the live-streamed arena games. But he must beat out the senior douche on the team for the position.
Cast Away (2000)
Chuck Nolan, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia crashes at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and finds himself marooned on a desolate island. With no way to escape, Chuck must find ways to survive in his new home.
The Iron Ladies 2 (2003)
A volleyball team made up of individuals, who are homosexual, face several challenges as fame gets in the way of their bond coupled with their other differences.
Meet the Parents (2000)
Greg Focker is ready to marry his girlfriend, Pam, but before he pops the question, he must win over her formidable father, humorless former CIA agent Jack Byrnes, at the wedding of Pam's sister. As Greg bends over backward to make a good impression, his visit to the Byrnes home turns into a hilarious series of disasters, and everything that can go wrong does, all under Jack's critical, hawklike gaze.
Victory (1994)
A clumsy science teacher gets talked into coaching the volleyball team when no one else will take on a losing team.
Lockdown (2019)
Struggling with feelings for her best friend, 14-year-old Marie stages an almost perfect plan. Playing dangerously with consent, Marie crosses the line as she corners her crush in a blind attempt at what she feels might be love.
Chica (2023)
After being attacked by the police, Katya, a trans sex worker, is given the opportunity to publicly denounce the assault in a television report. She decides not to do so, despite her desire to make a change, to prevent his mother from learning about her true occupation.