Dignity. A second chance. Laughter. Community. All of this and more is found at “The Tables,” shorthand for the running ping pong game in Manhattan’s Bryant Park. The game is the subject of director Jon Bunning’s new documentary short, filmed over 4 years in NYC.
Edited by Karen Kourtessis of bicoastal Union, “The Tables” is much more about connection than competition. The tables are a refuge of sorts, for men and women from all walks of life from veterans and investment bankers, to recovering addicts, and the former gang banger who helped to provide the very tables he and his friends play on. From the basement to the C-Suite, the people at these tables have each other’s backs in good times and bad.
During the day, the park provides paddles and balls, but after 7pm the regulars show up, armed with their own. Every night they come together to battle each other and the elements, playing in the wind, rain and even snow. And out of this shared love of the game, a bond was formed between an unlikely group of people. “Any success I’ve had…it comes from the tables right over there,” says one young regular in the film. From the smiles, and deep emotion, in the closing montage, it’s clear this sentiment is shared: as another player puts it, “I found my heaven there.”
The film has garnered more than a dozen awards, including an Oscar®-qualifying Grand Jury Prize at the Florida Film Festival.
About Union
Union Editorial has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Austin, and London, where it maintains an alliance with Marshall Street Editors. The company also develops and produces original content through its Union Entertainment Group banner. Other Union companies include Resolution, a visual effects boutique specializing in commercials, features and gaming.
Union is presided over by Partner/Managing Director Michael Raimondi in LA, Partner/Executive Producer Caryn Maclean in NY and Executive Producer Vicki Russell in Austin. The Union roster is comprised of Partner/Editors Jim Haygood, Einar, Jay Friedkin, Sloane Klevin, Marco Perez, Christjan Jordan, and editors Christopher Huth, Nicholas Wayman-Harris, Rachael Waxler, Daniel Luna, Jason Lucas, Kevin Ray, Laura Milstein, Eric Argiro, Karen Kourtessis, Zach Kashkett, Andrew Doga, Paul Plew, Teddy Gersten, Jinx Godfrey, Ben Longland and Nico Alba as well as select projects with Tim Thornton-Allen, Matt Chesse, John Mayes, Spencer Ferszt and the Marshall Street roster.
