It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since the story of Chicago schoolyard basketball was portrayed on film in the groundbreaking documentary film, Hoop Dreams. The story of Arthur Agee and William Gates and their basketball prowess, and their
It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since the story of Chicago schoolyard basketball was portrayed on film in the groundbreaking documentary film, Hoop Dreams. The story of Arthur Agee and William Gates and their basketball prowess, and their basketball dreams, was nominated for an Academy Award.
On Oct. 16, in an event that promises to inspire and uplift the dreams of a new generation of youth, the Better Boys Foundation will host a 15th anniversary screening of Hoop Dreams, released to resounding acclaim in 1994 by Chicagobased Kartemquin Films.
The screening is planned for 6:30 pm with a pre-film reception to begin at 5:30 p.m. Weather permitting, the film will be screened in the courtyard of the BBF Center at 1512 S. Pulaski in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. It’s free and open to the public, though admission will be limited by seating capacity.
The film’s stars William Gates and Arthur Agee are scheduled to attend the screening. Additionally, writer/director Steve James will be on hand.
“William and Arthur grew up on the West Side of Chicago and experienced many of the same challenges that kids currently growing up here face,” said Troy Ratliff, BBF’s executive vice president. “For the kids we serve to see their endurance, made clear in the film, is remarkable and noteworthy. It will be an honor to welcome them to BBF for this event.”
BBF’s youth filmmaking group, Journeys in Film, has been very active in organizing the celebratory screening of Hoop Dreams, which will be prefaced by a short film created especially for the event by Journey in Film participants.
Hoop Dreams followed the lofty aspirations and arduous efforts of William Gates and Arthur Agee, two inner city boys dreaming of making it someday as professional basketball players.
It won dozens of awards, including the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Documentary, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing.
The film’s critical success was game changing in the realm of documentaries.
It is still widely considered by many to be among the top 10 best ever. Additionally, when it didn’t win as Best Documentary in 1995, the ensuing uproar moved the Academy Awards to modify how documentaries are considered for Oscar nomination.
Hoop Dreams continues to impact youth through tandem community outreach efforts by Better Boys Foundation and Kartemquin related to the spirit of the film.
“We are thrilled to be working with Kartemquin to bring the film to North Lawndale,” said Warren Cockerham, BBF’s film teacher, who is a graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an independent filmmaker.
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