Josh Safdie · 2025 · global

A brash 1950s table tennis hustler from Manhattan's Lower East Side chases an impossible dream, to make ping pong a sport the world takes seriously and himself its champion. His self-made odyssey carries him from a New York shoe shop to tournament tables across Europe, North Africa and Asia.

1. 1
   New York

   In a Lower East Side shoe shop, the fast-talking Marty Mauser hustles for cash and dreams of table tennis glory beyond the city.

2. 2
   London

   He talks his way onto a plane to the world championship tournament, determined to prove himself against the best.

3. 3
   Paris

   The chase for greatness and money carries him on through Europe.

4. 4
   Sarajevo

   From city to city he plays, hustles, and reinvents himself at the table.

5. 5
   Tangier

   His restless odyssey reaches across the Mediterranean into North Africa.

6. 6
   Cairo

   Still chasing the next table and the next payday under Egyptian skies.

7. 7
   Tokyo

   Half a world from the Lower East Side, Marty pursues table tennis immortality.