San Diego Asian Film Festival 2008

Some 20 years in the making, MYSTIC BALL is a testament to the passion and perseverance of Canadian director Greg Hamilton – not only as a filmmaker but as a champion of chinlone, the national sport of Myanmar.

As its leading foreign expert and player, Hamilton thoroughly introduces Western audiences to this unknown, mesmerizing game. Invented over 1500 years ago and considered by many to be the oldest form of soccer, chinlone is a mix of hackey sack, tai chi, dance and a lot of meditation. Teams composed of both men and women, form an ever-morphing circle, to keep a woven rattan ball from touching the ground by employing any of the 200 different kicks that have evolved over the centuries. In chinlone, which is played to music, no score is kept; the focus is not on winning or losing but rather the sheer beauty and joy of the play.

Even more relevant in the wake of the unrest coursing through Myanmar this fall, MYSTIC BALL – like the game it portrays – shows the importance of play for the prospect of unity and peace.

Co-presented by Rescue Task Force

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