DOC NYC 20th Anniversary Screening of Hoop Dreams

Written by Maggie Glass

Amidst a flurry of new releases and world premieres, DOC NYC audiences had the unique opportunity on Sunday to attend the 20th anniversary restoration of the epic documentary HOOP DREAMS. Steve James’s 1994 film follows two young black teenagers with NBA aspirations as they grapple with academics, poverty, and family crises. Arthur Agee, a talented young player, is transferred to a suburban Catholic school in hopes of following the footsteps of Isiah Thomas, but finds his tenure cut short when his parents can no longer cover a tuition hike. Laid off from their jobs, Arthur’s mother eventually goes on welfare and his father develops a drug addiction. By the end of high school, his parents have reunited and his father is clean, but the struggles have taken a toll on the family.

William Gates, the film’s other subject, is a star athlete whose private school tuition is covered by a local benefactor. Despite good grades and a successful sophomore year, a knee injury stalls his rise to glory and threatens his future. Fathering a daughter while in high school, he finds his commitments growing and his attention divided. Curtis, his older brother, puts pressure on him to succeed, as his own promising basketball career collapsed in college. All the advice weighs on William. “It’s like everyone I know is my coach,” he says wearily.

Both boys’ dreams are tied up in issues of race and class. They share a true passion for basketball, while also fully aware that the sport is a gateway to opportunities that would otherwise be near impossible for young black men from low-income neighborhoods. At an All-American training camp, players listen to a motivational speaker thunder, “This is America! You can make something of your life!” Yet another guest speaker, Spike Lee, dispenses with platitudes and goes to the root of what’s motivating the college recruiters and coaches and administrators: “This whole thing,” he says, “revolves around money.”

After the screening, director Steve James talked about the making of the film and the difficulties in getting funding at the early stages. Basketball initially wasn’t seen as a necessarily worthy subject of a documentary. “It wasn’t perceived as being ‘serious’ enough,” James said. When asked how the filmmakers forged a connection with the boys and maintained a sense of trust, James said that a love of basketball was the initial bond that made it easy to have a shared entry point. All the filmmakers had played basketball themselves at varying levels and had a very genuine love for the game. Once they had gained that sense of trust and respect, they made sure it was something that lasted throughout the multiple years of filmmaking and into the post-production process. “We wanted make to sure they felt like the film was theirs too,” James said.

For more about Hoop Dreams, visit the film page on the DOC NYC website.

Maggie Glass is a New York based writer and film editor.