Dogwoof has announced that it will release a 20th anniversary Blu-ray of Hoop Dreams in early November. The Blu-ray will feature additional scenes, trailers, introduction and specially commissioned essay.
Following two teen boys, over five years, the film documents their struggles to make it to the NBA; a sensation on release Hoop Dreams was not just a profile of two boys it was a rare insight into the world of top tier professional sports that also explored race, class and privilege.
Full details below.
Declared a masterpiece when it was initially released but infamously snubbed at the Oscars®, Hoop Dreams by Steve James, Frederick Marx and Peter Gilbert remains one of the defining films of its genre and times. Dogwoof, in partnership with Violet Pictures, is proud to release the 20th Anniversary restoration of this towering documentary to UK audiences for the first time on Blu-ray on 2nd November.
For five years filmmakers Steve James, Frederick Marx, and Peter Gilbert followed William Gates and Arthur Agee, two inner-city Chicago teenagers, documenting their journey of fulfilling their dreams of making it to the NBA. Every day the boys travel 90 minutes each way from their city homes to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school famed for its basketball programme. The resulting film, Hoop Dreams, chronicled Gates and Agee’s daily struggles with school, family, and community pressures as they attempt to reach their goal of professional basketball fame and glory. Breaking the barriers of a sports film, Hoop Dreams addressed issues of race, class, and privilege, and provided a rare insight into the industry of professional sport.
This epic film enthralled viewers on release and has since risen to the ranks of one of the most important films of the last century. The 20th Anniversary restoration of Hoop Dreams features a host of special features including additional scenes, an exclusive introduction from Steve James, and a newly commissioned essay from moving image curator and writer Karen Alexander, among others.
Bonus features: – New high-definition digital restoration- Additional Scenes- Steve James introduction- Hoop Dreams: 20th Anniversary – A side by side comparison- Original 1994 Music Video- Trailers- PLUS: Exclusive essay by independent film and moving image curator and writer Karen Alexander
