“Fascinating, and it’s nice to see an American export other than a Hollywood blockbuster engendering good will.”
Neil Genzlinger – NY Times
“Mirra Bank’s surprising documentary discovers this most American of pastimes in the unlikeliest of places… Bank most profoundly links politics and sports through Manipuri women.”
Ronnie Scheib – Variety
“Mirra Bank’s warmhearted documentary… drops us into an oasis of play inside a region of hurt…there’s enough honest grace to the obvious enjoyment this legendary sport gives people — whether struggling Manipuris or rejuvenated ex-pros — to make “The Only Real Game” a stirring ode to cultural bridge-building.”
Robert Abele – LA Times
“The unexpected and hopeful story of the love of baseball in Manipur… resonates long after the final credits have come and gone.”
Simi Horwitz – Film Journal
“For Manipuris, baseball has proved a powerful bonding mechanism… The love for baseball runs in our veins, we play because it gives us happiness.”
Sanjay Pandey – Aljazeera
“…an important examination of the power of peaceful cultural exchange to combat a humanitarian crisis often ignored in the Western world.”
Nicole McCormick – Cineaste
“Play Ball or Die – Many of the women coaches were also mothers, and for them baseball can be a matter of life and death… it’s a feel-good movie of another sort.”
Sean Elder – Newsweek
“…a gift from the land of the free to the home of the brave.”
Director TALK, Mirra Bank Interview
“Wholly absorbing! There’s a lot of heartache, but they play for love… This film is like another work in the canon of baseball poetry.”
Daphne Howland, Village Voice – Critics’ Pick
“A masterful and extraordinary film. The wonders of the game of baseball, the dreams it arouses and the communities it creates, burst through…”
Ken Auletta – Pulitzer Prize Juror & Media Critic for The New Yorker
“While Jon Hamm is busy looking for Indian baseball players in ‘Million Dollar Arm,’ filmmaker Mirra Bank has already found them!”
Reed Tucker, NY Post
“Disney may have the ‘Million Dollar Arm,’ but if you want a true story of America’s Pastime in India, check out ‘The Only Real Game.”
NY Daily News
“Inspiring! One of the most unusual movies ever made about baseball. Unlike anything you’ve ever seen. This is a story which must be told. It combines baseball with human rights… and human dignity.”
Jeffrey Lyons, The Lyons Den
“The film and its director Mirra Bank deserve high praise. I hope to see ‘The Only Real Game’ a third time, it is that inspiring!”
Andy B Sports
“Tremendous! This is a unique story about a pure love of the game. In particular the strength and wisdom of the women of Manipur is downright inspiring.”
Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated Analyst, MLB Network & FOX
“Illuminating… the dreams and nightmares depicted in Mirra Bank’s The Only Real Game are astoundingly, heartrendingly real.”
Jaime Lubin, Huffington Post
“Wonderful, absorbing! Very inspiring without being sentimental.”
Judith Coyne, MORE Magazine
“The simple joys of a ball and a glove transcend national or cultural boundaries.”
Jim McLennan, AZSnakepit, Official Diamondbacks Blogger, SB*Nation
“An engrossing and deeply stirring documentary… an overwhelming success…”
The East Hampton Star
“In a region where insurgency between separatists and the army dominates … Bank found an unusual story — the Manipuris’ love for baseball.”
Shikha Kumar, India Express
“A story that filmmakers only dream about… remarkable and fascinating documentary…”
Mumbai Mirror
“Mirra Bank has struck an exquisite balance… a truly gripping and compassionate story of a people who choose not to give up… a window into the heart of the Manipuri people.”
India Independent Films
FILM FESTIVALS
NYIFF New York Indian Film Festival
Vail Film Festival – Festival Genius
Vail Daily (Vail Film Festival)