DIRECTED by acclaimed actress and filmmaker Joan Chen, documentary “The Iron Hammer,” featuring the inspiring life and career of international volleyball icon Lang Ping, will premiere June 7 as an official selection of the We Are One: A Global Film Festival which will take place on YouTube from May 29 to June 7. The film will be shown on the Olympic Channel global digital platform later this year.

Following an ambitious two-year filmmaking journey around the world, “The Iron Hammer” documents how Lang moved abroad after captaining the Chinese national team to a historic gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games to forge a trailblazing career as a national team coach for both the United States and China. On the court, Lang’s most effective weapon is her lethal spike, hence her titular nickname, while her leadership skills and calm demeanor solidify her unique status as the first player and coach to win multiple world championships and Olympic gold.

Chen, in her documentary feature debut, skillfully combines thrilling excerpts from championship games, intimate conversations with Lang, her colleagues, and players to craft an entertaining and multi-dimensional portrait of this groundbreaking athlete who transformed women’s volleyball.

“I’ve been a fan of Lang Ping since we first met at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and have followed her career ever since,” said Chen. “Many admire Lang Ping not only for her accomplishments on the volleyball court, but also for her unique combination of strength and grace that helped her to conquer new and foreign challenges. From her experiences in China to the United States, I consider Lang Ping a kindred spirit whose life journey intimately parallels my own. So when the chance came for me to direct this film and tell her story, I jumped on it.”

“Lang Ping is like Michael Jordan in our minds,” one athlete says in the documentary, while others call her a “champion,” “pioneer” and “movie star.” But when Lang went on to coach the U.S. national team to a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, public opinion about her turned a corner. “I was the first female foreigner to coach a major sport for Team USA,” Lang says in the clip above.

Organized by Tribeca Enterprises, We Are One: A Global Film Festival is an unprecedented 10-day online film festival co-curated by more than 20 film festivals from around the world. All funds raised by the festival benefit the COVID-19 solidarity relief fund for the World Health Organization (WHO).

A Shanghai native, Chen starred in Bernardo Bertolucci’s movie “The Last Emperor” (1987) and David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” (1990-1991) after moving to the United States. She won a Golden Horse Film Festival Award for Best Leading Actress for Chinese movie “Red Rose White Rose” in 1995.

(SD-Agencies)