January 15, 2014 11:06 am
Jason Guerrasio has published an extensive oral history of Hoop Dreams at TheDissolve.com.
The 12-part history comes ahead of the film's 20th anniversary screening at the Sundance Film Festival this Monday, January 20th, at 1:15pm. Tickets are already wait-list only. Hoop Dreams filmmakers Steve James, Frederick Marx, and Peter Gilbert will attend the screening, with stars Arthur Agee and his mother Sheila Agee. Kartemquin's Gordon Quinn, executive producer of the film, and Kartemquin's current staff will all also attend for this special event. Others expected to attend include Ira Deutchman, the original distributor, and Catherine Allan, executive producer for Twin Cities Public Television.
The film will be screened from a new uncropped, high definition digital master that better represents the pictorial quality of the original videography. Digitally remastered at Modern VideoFilm with sound restoration by Audio Mechanics, this version allows future audiences to see the film as conceived by its filmmakers. The new master was created in a collaboration between Sundance Institute, UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Academy Film Archive and Kartemquin Films. Get more details on the restoration.
If you're a fan of a film, we would argue that the Oral History of Hoop Dreams is absolutely essential reading. And we are not alone. Here are some of our favorite reactions to the film from Twitter this morning:
This movie had a huge impact on me as a kid. Thx @thedissolve for letting me do the oral history of HOOP DREAMS http://t.co/ISZ4DO6bCw
— Jason Guerrasio (@JasonGuerrasio) January 15, 2014
HOOP DREAMS, 20 years later: an oral history: http://t.co/GODKZKCC6P
— The Dissolve (@thedissolve) January 15, 2014
shout out to @tusshoopdreams http://t.co/ISZ4DO6bCw #FollowTheLegend
— Jason Guerrasio (@JasonGuerrasio) January 15, 2014
I could read @thedissolve's Hoop Dreams oral history all day (and might, considering how exhaustive it is). http://t.co/dmLD1pgJio
— John Sellers (@JohnSellersNYC) January 15, 2014
There's an oral history of Hoop Dreams on @thedissolve now, so I guess I know what I'll be reading while I'm pretending to get stuff done.
— Chris Kopcow (@opennoise) January 15, 2014
Also, if you haven't seen Hoop Dreams, please see Hoop Dreams. If you're interested in people at all, you'll really like it.
— Chris Kopcow (@opennoise) January 15, 2014
An oral history of HOOP DREAMS via @TheDissolve: http://t.co/l0PMFLJQx1
— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) January 15, 2014
An oral history of HOOP DREAMS. @JasonGuerrasio completely knocked this out of the park. (Or dunked it, anyway.) http://t.co/eC8cy7vGcz
— Scott Tobias (@scott_tobias) January 15, 2014
An oral history of ‘Hoop Dreams’ reminds us how far documentary, and independent film, has come in 20 years: http://t.co/64851ydbUI
— Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) January 15, 2014
This is fantastic. An oral history of the acclaimed "Hoop Dreams" documentary, 20 years after its première http://t.co/fXLdMUk1aj
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 15, 2014
@thedissolve’s oral history of #HoopDreams is the very definition of mandatory reading: http://t.co/DVgCMzm8CZ
— Kevin McFarland (@km_mcfarland) January 15, 2014
Truly a great movie! RT @AndyGlockner: An oral history of Hoop Dreams? I'll see you guys later. http://t.co/bS1VaLnRfc (h/t @williamfleitch)
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) January 15, 2014
Hoop Dreams is the best documentary I've seen. I could watch it once a year. I don't care about sports but it's so compelling. @nathanrabin
— Jon Sharkey (@spizzy) January 15, 2014
HOOP DREAMS ORAL HISTORY GOOD MORNING TO ME via @thedissolve http://t.co/OSUfAGnQ4w
— Alex Suskind (@AlexJSuskind) January 15, 2014
Can't wait to get after this read also can't believe HOOP DREAMS is 20 years old;an oral history: http://t.co/rrVlUgxaf9 via @thedissolve
— James M. Stinger (@jimsting10) January 15, 2014
Riveting look back at the mighty Hoop Dreams: http://t.co/YMq4DG3Pt1. (If you've never seen Hoop Dreams, see Hoop Dreams. Then read this).
— Danny Leigh (@dannytheleigh) January 15, 2014
Hey, the Dissolve gang has an oral history of Hoop Dreams. If ever there was a film that lends itself to oral history http://t.co/WFdgt4DoNU
— Putney Swole (@Fantasmagorie_) January 15, 2014
So maybe I should watch Hoop Dreams before I read this massive oral history of the film. (I know, I'm the worst.)
— Josh Spiegel (@mousterpiece) January 15, 2014
I haven't watched Hoop Dreams in a good few years. Thanks to @thedissolve's Oral History, I'm now rewatching it: http://t.co/NndXNEB032
— Edwin Davies (@ejrdavies) January 15, 2014
Hoop Dreams is available to watch instantly on Netflix and Hulu.
Pictured at top: scan of the first page of the original fundraising proposal for Hoop Dreams from late 1988. It wasn't very successful.