Synopsis
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
Hoop Dreams (1994) is a 2h 54min documentary feature film by Steve James. Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city... Selected for Los Angeles Film Awards (2025).
Key facts
Crew
Trailer
Stills
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Festival History
- Los Angeles Film Awards 2025
- Academy Awards 1995 academy_award
- Independent Spirit Awards 1995 generic
- Sundance Film Festival 1994 generic
- Toronto International Film Festival 1994 generic
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | United States | September 12, 1994 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | March 28, 1995 |
| Theatrical | Netherlands | December 14, 1995 |
| Theatrical | Australia | September 5, 1996 |
| Classification | United Kingdom | 12 |
| Classification | United States | PG-13 |
Full credits
| Director | Steve James |
| Cast | William Gates (Self), Arthur Agee (Self), Emma Gates (Self - William's Mother), Curtis Gates (Self - William's Brother), Sheila Agee (Self - Arthur's Mother), Earl Smith (Self - Talent Scout), Gene Pingatore (Self - High School Basketball Coach), Isiah Thomas (Self - Professional Basketball Player), Sister Marlyn Hopewell (Self - High School Guidance Counselor), Bill Gleason (Self - Television Reporter), Patricia Weir (Self - President, Encyclopedia Brittanica), Marjorie Heard (Self - High School Guidance Counselor), Luther Bedford (Self - High School Basketball Coach), Aretha Mitchell (Self - High School Guidance Counselor), Shannon Johnson (Self - Arthur's Friend), Tomika Agee (Self - Arthur's Sister), Joe 'Sweetie' Agee (Self - Arthur's Brother), Jazz Agee (Self - Tomika's Daughter and Arthur's Niece), Catherine Mines (Self - William's Girlfriend), Alicia Mines (Self - William's Daughter), Alvin Bibbs (Self - William's Brother-in-Law), Willie Gates (Self - William's Father), James Kelly (Self - High School Teacher and Registrar), Michael O'Brien (Self - High School Finance Director), Dick Vitale (Self - Television Sports Commentator), Kevin O'Neill (Self - Marquette University Head Basketball Coach), Bobby Knight (Self - Indiana University Head Basketball Coach), Joey Meyer (Self - DePaul University Head Basketball Coach), Frank DuBois (Self - Camp Academic Director), Spike Lee (Self - Film Director), Bo Ellis (Self - Marquette University Assistant Basketball Coach), Bob Gibbons (Self - Basketball Scout), Dennis Doyle (Self - High School Assistant Basketball Coach), Clarence Webb (Self - High School Science Teacher), Stan Wilson (Self - Basketball Scout), Derrick Zinneman (Self - High School Basketball Player), Tim Gray (Self - Junior College Basketball Coach), Myron Gordon (Self - Junior College Basketball Player), Steve James (Narrator (voice)) |
| Screenplay | Frederick Marx, Steve James |
| Producer | Frederick Marx, Peter Gilbert, Steve James |
| Executive producer | Catherine Allan, Gordon Quinn |
| Cinematography | Peter Gilbert |
| Editing | Frederick Marx, Steve James, William Haugse |
| Sound | Adam Singer, Bill Jenkins, Ed Scott, Mirko Popadic, Tom Yore |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Wikidata (CC0-1.0)
