“HARD PROBLEMS”
The Road to the World's Toughest
Math Contest

• Directed by: George Csicsery
• Released on DVD: April 11, 2008
• Price: $24.95
• Starring: Alex Zhai and his five teammates on the 2006 U.S. International Math Olympiad Team

TWO YEARS AGO, Uni student Alex Zhai qualified for the U.S. team that would compete in the 2006 International Mathematical Olympiad in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Zhai, then a sophomore and a first-time member of the U.S. team, already felt the gravity of representing the United States at one of the most prestigious academic competitions in the world.

But the pressure heightened when he found out that he and his teammates would be the subject of a full-length documentary, filmed in the weeks leading up to and during the IMO.

The documentary, directed by George Csicsery, is titled “Hard Problems: The Road to the World’s Toughest Math Contest.”

It follows the six members of the U.S. team throughout their experiences during preliminary selections, the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program, and the IMO itself.

“Hard Problems” was released April 11 on DVD. It is distributed by the Mathematical Association of America and is available for purchase at Amazon.com, the Art of Problem Solving Web site, and the MAA Online Bookstore.

According to Csicsery, the film premiered Jan. 8 at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Diego. He is attempting to get the documentary broadcast nationally. So far he has submitted the film to SBS-Australia, Discovery Canada, and three different stations that could act as entry stations to PBS.

“I anticipate that this process will last several more months before we can announce a broadcast venue,” Csicsery said in a phone interview with the Gargoyle. “In addition, there are several theatrical distribution companies currently looking at the film to see if it might be right for a limited theater rollout.”

Alex Zhai (left) relaxes in his dormitory during the 2006 IMO with teammates Zeb Brady (front), Zach Abel (right), and Arnav Tripathy. IMO photo (click to enlarge)

Alex Zhai hard at work during the 2006 IMO. Competing in his first IMO, Zhai won a silver medal as the U.S. team placed fifth out of 90 countries. IMO photo (click to enlarge)

Csicsery first met the prospective U.S. team members in the spring of 2006 after they had emerged as the top scorers on the USA Math Olympiad exam, which is the next-to-last step on the road to making the IMO team.

He then went to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for the MAA's four-week Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program, where the top students took one final test to determine who would be on the U.S. team.

The six selected were Zhai; Zach Abel of Greenhill School, Addison, Texas; Zarathustra “Zeb” Brady of Magnolia Science Academy, Reseda, Calif.; Ryan Ko of Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, N.H.; Yi Sun of The Harker School, San Jose, Calif.; and Arnav Tripathy of East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, N.C.

After getting to know the team, Csicsery followed them to Slovenia, where the IMO and related activities were held during the course of 11 days.

The documentary includes interviews with the six team members, their coaches, their parents, as well as foreign participants and coaches.

Csicsery has directed more than 20 films, and “Hard Problems” is the fifth mathematics documentary that he has made.

“My other films were about individuals like math professors,” he said. “They were more biographical about in-depth treatment of the math they were working on. Here we were documenting a competition with teenage participants.”

Overall, Csicsery was proud to direct a documentary on teenage prodigies.

“I really enjoyed to see people who are 15, 16, 17, and so bright,” he said. “The best part of it is that the film shows really positive things of teenagers, while many films nowadays portray teenagers in a negative way.”

Zhai himself has not seen the entire film yet; in fact, he seemed surprised when told that the movie has already been released on DVD. He saw a preview last May, when he was in Washington, D.C., to be honored for his performance on the 2007 USAMO.

Ultimately the U.S. team fared well at the 2006 IMO, placing fifth out of 90 countries. Zhai won a silver medal, scoring 25 out of a possible 42 points in the six-problem, nine-hour competition that stretched over two days.

Somehow, the presence of Csicsery and his film crew didn't bother Zhai.

“It made the whole thing seem more serious,” he recalled, “but I already had a lot of that feeling.”

Note: Look for Gargoyle assistant editor Gordon Ruan's review of “Hard Problems” in the coming days.

Meet the stars of “Hard Problems” — Alex Zhai poses for a photo with his five IMO teammates and their Slovenian guide (far right). Pictured standing from left to right are Yi Sun, Ryan Ko, Arnav Tripathy, Zhai, Zach Abel, and Zeb Brady (bottom). The name of the guide is not known.