Hoop Dreams (1994)

Director:

Steve James

Writers:

Steve James (writer)
Frederick Marx (writer)

Release Date:

14 October 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Sport

Plot:

A film following the lives of two African American boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.

Plot Keywords:

African American | Basketball | College | Ghetto | High School

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 16 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

William Gates	...	Himself
Arthur Agee	...	Himself
Emma Gates	...	Herself (William's mother)
Curtis Gates	...	Himself (William's brother)
Sheila Agee	...	Herself (Arthur's mother)
Arthur 'Bo' Agee	...	Himself (Arthur's father)
Earl Smith	...	Himself (Talent scout)
Gene Pingatore	...	Himself (High school basketball coach)
Isiah Thomas	...	Himself (Professional basketball player)
Sister Marlyn Hopewell	...	Herself (High school guidance counselor)
Bill Gleason	...	Himself (Television reporter)
Patricia Weir	...	Herself (President, Encyclopedia Brittanica)
Marjorie Heard	...	Herself (High school guidance counselor)
Luther Bedford	...	Himself (High school basketball coach)
Aretha Mitchell	...	Herself (High school guidance counselor)
Shannon Johnson	...	Herself
Tomika Agee	...	Herself (Arthur's sister)
Joe 'Sweetie' Agee	...	Himself (Arthur's brother)
Jazz Agee	...	Herself (Tomika's daughter, Arthur's niece)
Catherine Mines	...	Herself (William's girlfriend)
Alicia Mines	...	Herself (William's daughter)
Alvin Bibbs	...	Himself (William's brother-in-law)
Willie Gates	...	Himself (William's father)
James Kelly	...	Himself (High school teacher and registrar)
Michael O'Brie	...	Himself (High school finance director)
Dick Vitale	...	Himself (Television sports commentator)
Kevin O'Neill	...	Himself (Marquette University head basketball coach)
Bobby Knight	...	Himself (Indiana University head basketball coach)
Joey Meyer	...	Himself (DePaul University head basketball coach)
Frank DuBois	...	Himself (Camp academic director)
Spike Lee	...	Himself (Film director)
Bo Ellis	...	Himself (Marquette University assistant backetball coach)
Bob Gibbons	...	Himself (Basketball scout)
Dennis Doyle	...	Himself (High school assistant basketball coach)
Clarence Webb	...	Himself (High school science teacher)
Stan Wilson	...	Himself (Basketball scout)
Derrick Zinneman	...	Himself (High school basketball player)
Tim Gray	...	Himself (Junior college basketball coach)
Myron Gordon	...	Himself (Junior college basketball player)
Steve James	...	Narrator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elijiah Ephraim	...	Himself
Eric Anderson	...	Himself (uncredited)
Bobby Cremins	...	Himself (uncredited)
Juwan Howard	...	Himself (uncredited)
Mike Krzyzewski	...	Himself (uncredited)
Rick Pitino	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jalen Rose	...	Himself (uncredited)
John Thompson	...	Himself (uncredited)
Chris Webber	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Steve James

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Steve James		writer
Frederick Marx		writer

Produced by
Catherine Allan	....	executive producer
Peter Gilbert	....	producer
Steve James	....	producer
Frederick Marx	....	producer
Gordon Quinn	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ben Sidran

Cinematography by
Peter Gilbert

Film Editing by
William Haugse
Steve James
Frederick Marx

Production Management
Emily Stevens	....	production manager: KTCA
Suzanne Suffredin	....	post-production supervisor

Sound Department
Corey Coken	....	sound mixer
Ric Coken	....	sound mixer
Bryen Hensley	....	sound mixer
Bill Jenkins	....	additional sound
Margaret M.S. Marvin	....	sound mixer
Mirko Popadic	....	additional sound
Chuck Rapp	....	sound mixer
Ed Scott	....	additional sound
Adam Singer	....	sound
Tom Yore	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Fetterley	....	additional photographer
Richard Holland	....	still photographer: production stills
Ada Kolmodin	....	still photographer: production stills
Sid Lubitsch	....	additional photographer
Kevin McCarey	....	additional photographer
Jim Morrissette	....	additional photographer
Mirko Popadic	....	additional photographer
Gordon Quinn	....	additional photographer
Ed Scott	....	additional photographer
Adam Singer	....	still photographer: production stills

Editorial Department
Lou Anastas	....	assistant editor
Linda Balek	....	assistant editor
Fenell Doremus	....	assistant editor
Fenell Doremus	....	post-production coordinator
Jim Fetterley	....	assistant editor
Sarah Galloway	....	assistant editor
Lisa Hubbard	....	assistant editor
Robert Jung	....	colorist
Neil Laird	....	assistant editor
Craig Leffel	....	colorist

Music Department
Ben Sidran	....	music producer
Tom Yore	....	composer: additional music

Other crew
Gerry Berlin	....	legal assistance
Brian Boyl	....	production assistant
Ena Dahm	....	accountant
Fenell Doremus	....	staff member: Kartemquin
George Eastman	....	title designer
Joanne Elam	....	accountant
Brian Farley	....	production assistant
Jim Fetterley	....	staff: Kartemquin
Julia Gibbs	....	production assistant
Laura Hoffman	....	researcher
Jenny Sioux Hopkins	....	on-line: IPA
Tricia John	....	accountant
Quentin King	....	legal assistance
Neil Laird	....	production assistant
Frederick Marx	....	on-line: Kartemquin
Marcy McCall	....	staff: Kartemquin
Jim Morrissette	....	technical advisor
William Morris	....	staff: Kartemquin
Bob Musker	....	production assistant
Mark Nielson	....	staff: Kartemquin
Mike Perelstein	....	legal assistance
Brian T. Pitts	....	production assistant
Gordon Quinn	....	creative consultant
Gerald Richman	....	executive in charge of KTCA
Eric Scholl	....	ipa on-line
Bill Siegel	....	researcher
John Sloss	....	legal assistance
Jill Soloway	....	staff: Kartemquin
Melissa Sterne	....	on-line: Kartemquin
Stephanie Wertlake	....	staff: Kartemquin
Angela Wood	....	intern

Production Companies

• KTCA Minneapolis
• Kartemquin Films

Distributors

• Fine Line Features (1994) (USA) (theatrical)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1995) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Europa Carat (Brazil) (VHS)
• New Line Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (1998) (Finland) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Sportsrobe  costumes

Runtime:

170 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:12 | Finland:S | Australia:M | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

KTCA Minneapolis

Trivia:

Many of the locations used in the movie are now either gone or substantially different. The neighborhood of the Cabrini Green housing project, where one of the players lived, underwent a "gentrification" shortly after the film wrapped. The baseball field shown, for example, now has been replaced by luxury condos and a shopping complex.

Quotes:

William Gates: It became more of a job than a sport to play.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Best of the '90s" (2000)

Documentary film-making at its best

It runs for three hours but it feels much less, such is the power that this documentary holds. Absorbing, you get sucked in and the film has this grip on you.

If Reality TV is your thing, I'd seriously give this film a go, then you can stop watching Reality TV and start to recognise, understand and prioritise real-world situations that actually matter, like racism, poverty, drug abuse, peer pressure and well, dreams.

You'll fall in love with the characters, and there's even a bad-guy for us to boo. You can sometimes question the manipulative techniques on display, but the film is actually not as guilty as some, the makers have a genuine affection for their subjects and do as much as they can within the rules of documentary to help them out without compromising their objectivity.

Be that as it may, this film should be compulsory viewing for many younger audiences, as it shows you exactly how real life differs from the garbage that passes for representation of youth on TV and in film today.

I really can't say enough about the need for more films like this, the fact that the Academy Awards were changed because of the strength of this film goes some way to showing you exactly how powerful it is.