Hoop Dreams

Frederick Marx: Change Agent

Directed by: Steve James, Frederick Marx

1994 | USA | 2 hrs 51 min

One of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of all time, Hoop Dreams is a rich, complex, heartbreaking, and ultimately deeply rewarding film that uses high school hoops as a jumping-off point to explore issues of race, class, and education in modern America. Hoop Dreams is the film that first interested Marx in the welfare of teenage boys. It tells the story of two high school basketball players and their families over a four-and-a-half year period, covering the boys’ entire high school careers as they pursue the elusive dream of professional basketball success.“In a thrilling documentary, two kids struggle to be No. 1. It’s about three hours long. But it moves like Isiah, fast and smooth, and it’s over in a heartbreak.” Richard Corliss, Time. 

Nominated Best Editing, Academy Awards 1995