Private Project

Ping Pong Coach

In a remote village in Taiwan, a junior high school student is killed. The victim is the captain of the school table tennis team. His death echoes the story of a paranormal urban legend and triggers extreme horror amongst the villagers, who believe it is the curse of the malevolent spirit, Kyoko. Disbelieving of the supernatural legend, Fang Yi, the coach of the table tennis team, decides to work with Cheng Li, the school inspector, to investigate the case. Shockingly, the number of victims starts to increase with the murders becoming increasingly horrific, causing everyone to start wondering if the curse of the spirit is actually real.

When the police investigation gets bogged down, Fang insists on finding out the truth alone. He enters the haunted woods by himself before falling into unexpected danger. Just as Fang's life is at stake, the case starts to reveal its unpredictable ending... Ping Pong is a social thriller. It tells the story of the social ailments behind a horrific paranormal death event. After the painstaking investigation, what's revealed is nothing more than the barrenness of the remote village and the dearth of people's souls.

  • Jian Shiue-Bin
    Director
  • Huang Shin-Gau
    Writer
  • Jian Shiue-Bin
    Writer
  • Chang Chih-Sheng
    Writer
  • Huang Chih-shiang
    Producer
  • Chen Jeng-Shiou
    Producer
  • Peng Sheng-Ching
    Producer
  • Wu Kang-Ren
    Key Cast
  • Lee Yi-Jean
    Key Cast
  • Lan Wei-Hua
    Key Cast
  • YU Pei-Hua
    Executive Producer
  • Jiang Shen-Feng
    Director of Photography
  • Sung Jau-Sheng
    Gaffer
  • Jung Sheng Jiun
    Sound
  • Lee Chen-Shi
    Production Designer
  • Jian Shiue-Bin
    Editor
  • Chang Chih-Sheng
    Editor
  • Wu Bo-Chuen
    Music Supervisor
  • Lin Chuan-Chih
    Sound Designer
  • Chang Jeng-Shiung
    Drone Camera Operator
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Horror, Mystery, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 40 minutes 47 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 3, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    135,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jian Shiue-Bin

Director Jian, Shiue Bin was born in Taipei in 1983, but his family is originally Paiwan from Taimali, Taitung. He studied in the Department of Industrial Design at both the Oriental Institute of Technology and Ming Chi University of Technology, and graduated from the latter. He has worked in various disciplines such as design, filming and music. In 2009, he joined the Dawo Group, and made a series of documentaries on Typhoon Morakot, which heralded his career in filmmaking. He has subsequently worked in numerous film and television productions.

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Director Statement

Ping Pong is the major metaphor in this film highlighting the contradictions, absurdity and incongruity of both society and humanity. The struggles that the characters face between good and evil are just like the to and fro of a bouncing ping pong ball. It is the main conflict hidden underneath the supernatural incidents, while the character’s struggles also test both their will-power and their decision-making.

This film sets out to highlight contemporary Taiwan and the situations that people are exposed by way of a realistic approach. We also hope that through the genre of a supernatural thriller, this film can dig deeper into the characters, so that the audience can understand, identify and feel connected with them.

In short, Ping Pong is just like life itself. You hit the ball and it bounces back like feedback. In this constant to-ing and fro-ing conflict, whether it be one’s rival or one’s self in the mirror, it is a nevertheless a journey of self-discourse.