"Ping Pong Playa" scores release through IFC Films

By Gregg Goldstein

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - IFC Films has picked up U.S. theatrical rights to Jessica Yu's comedy "Ping Pong Playa."

The film follows aspiring Asian American pro basketball player Christopher "C-dub" Wang (Jimmy Tsai), who is forced to settle for running his mother's ping pong class.

"Playa" is the narrative debut for documentarian Yu ("Protagonist," "In the Realms of the Unreal," the Oscar-winning short "Breathing Lessons," ), who co-wrote it with Tsai.

It premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, screened recently at New York's Asian-American Film Festival and will hit select theaters September 5.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter