Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Pt.1 (Hoop Dreams)

So, I went to the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina this weekend. What impressed me the most was the amount of African-American based documentaries in the fest. The four I watched on Saturday were, "Hoop Dreams", "In Motion: Amiri Baraka", "The Fallen Champ", and "Say My Name". Today I watched "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe". Each film I watched had either a Q & A with the director, subject matter or a combination of the two. Some Q & A's were better than others, but, overall, the filmmakers did an excellent job in not only the production but the presentation of their documentaries. My favorite of the four documentaries is between "Hoop Dreams" and "Say My Name." Hoop Dreams is about 2 inner city youth growing up in Chicago, Illinois chasing the dream of one day playing in the NBA like an idol of theirs (Isiah Thomas) who, consequently, went to the same High School as Gates and Agee (formerly). William Gates (who was in attendence for the Q & A) and Arthur Agee Jr. are the subject matter for the film. I particularly enjoyed the way the film captured the reality of growing up as a black youth in Chicago in the late 80's and early 90's. The rawness of the film spoke volumes about the real life struggles faced by black families trying to support the decisions of their childrens dreams and dealing with real-life hardships in their everyday lives. The Agee family in particular went through numerous trying times. His father was a recovering drug addict who left the family on occasion to fend for themselves. As in the case for most black families, Arthur's mother proved to be the glue that held the family together. Arthur himself dealt with being kicked out of St. Joseph High School (Isiah Thomas' alma mater) where he attended with Gates. Agee faces the difficult struggle of making a jump from one high school to another in the middle of the school year and increasing his level of play on the court to secure a starting position on the varsity basketball team. Gates faced personal struggles of living up to his brothers basketball standards as he was a stand-out athlete in high school as well. Chronic knee problems proved to be the achilles heel that mentally forced Gates out of the free spirited playing style he had developed playing basketball his entire life. Along with beautiful cinematography, the film contained a jazz score that captured the essence and very life of Chicago during that time with a sense of hope for those with the chops big enough to escape its' grasp. Director Steve James, in his masterpiece, truly allowed the story to formulate and thus marinate into the minds and hearts of the audience and because of this he truly has made a timeless work of art.