Nasty: More Than Just Tennis
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Special Events
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Thu Dec 4 :Buy Tickets
Q&A session with sports journalist Steve Flink after the 6:30 show
SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER
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Thu Dec 04
- 6:30 pm Buy Tickets
Thursday, December 4 at 6:30: The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with sports journalist Steve Flink
Celebrated with a
Special Screening at Cannes 2024, this adrenaline-charged portrait of legendary
tennis player Ilie Nastase is as entertaining as a match with its protagonist.
Using rare archive footage, the film pivots around his explosive 1972 season—Wimbledon
runner-up, US Open champion, and a third Davis Cup final—a watershed moment
that catapulted the Romanian from behind the Iron Curtain into the global
spotlight. Simultaneously affable and generous, he could switch to haughty and
obscene—a contradictory nature that earned him the infamous “Nasty”
nickname. A stellar cast—including luminaries like Billie Jean King, John
McEnroe, Boris Becker, Rafael Nadal, and Jimmy Connors—all acknowledge his
defiant edge and controversial behavior, yet consistently vouch for his
fundamental talent and kindness. This is a definitive smash into the essence of
the sport’s initial rebellious idol, who shattered its staid gentility with
brazen theatricality.
Screening as part of Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema
- Country Romania
- Language English and Romanian with English subtitles
- Year 2024
- Running Time 104 minutes
- Format DCP
- Director Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu
- Cast Ilie Nastase, Steve Flink, Toni Nadal
- Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil
IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.