Hoop Dreams
“An Extraordinary True Story.”
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.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
NOT A TRAILEROfficial
Type: Clip • Published 2015-04-01
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
William Gates
Self
Arthur Agee
Self
Emma Gates
Self - William's Mother
Curtis Gates
Self - William's Brother
Sheila Agee
Self - Arthur's Mother
Arthur 'Bo' Agee
Self - Arthur's Father
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
Release History & Theatrical Window
Sundance Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
September 12, 1994
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$700K
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$7.8M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
11.19x
+$7.1M net gain
Theatrical Status
Mega Hit
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Steve James
- Screenplay & Story
- Frederick Marx, Steve James
- Original Score
- Ben Sidran
- Original Title
- Hoop Dreams
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 2h 54m
- Production Budget
- $700K
- Worldwide Gross
- $7.8M
- Production Studios
- Fine Line Features, Kartemquin Films
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Steve James
Frederick Marx, Steve James
Ben Sidran
Peter Gilbert, Ed Scott, Jim Fetterley, Sid Lubitsch, Kevin McCarey, Jim Morrissette, Mirko Popadic, Gordon Quinn
William Haugse, Steve James, Frederick Marx
Catherine Allan, Steve James, Peter Gilbert, Frederick Marx, Gordon Quinn
Department Leadership Roster
Steve James
Director
Frederick Marx
Writer
Steve James
Writer
Peter Gilbert
Director of Photography
Steve James
Producer
William Haugse
Editor
Peter Gilbert
Producer
Frederick Marx
Producer
Steve James
Editor
Frederick Marx
Editor
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.
International Certification Matrix
Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.
Suitable only for 12 years and over.
Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Hoop Dreams.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Hoop Dreams.
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:41:36 UTC+8)*
Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Every film from Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' essays. 罗杰·伊伯特的伟大电影： 收录了已故美国著名国民级影评人罗杰·伊伯特（Roger Ebert）在其经典的《伟大电影》（Great Movies）系列专栏文章中推荐、评论过的所有影史经典佳作。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#092] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:40:11 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 250 Documentary Films
Letterboxd's official Top 250 documentary feature films, ranked by average member rating. Letterboxd 官方 Top 250 最佳纪录长片榜单： 根据平台用户的平均评分进行排序的纪录长片精选榜单。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:38:00 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:30:02 UTC+8)*
Limelight Not Seen
***Documentar***
Similar Titles to Hoop Dreams
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
9.0
8.0![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 2 3"%3E%3Crect width="2" height="3" fill="%23161922"/%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Tao - Fighting for Football in China
6.3
5.8
4.5
6.8
7.6
5.0
5.2
6.3
More Like Hoop Dreams
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hoop Dreams
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Hoop Dreams about?
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.
Who directed Hoop Dreams?
Hoop Dreams was directed by Steve James.
Who stars in Hoop Dreams?
The principal cast of Hoop Dreams includes William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates, Curtis Gates, Sheila Agee.
When was Hoop Dreams released and how long is it?
Hoop Dreams was released in 1994 with a total runtime of 2h 54m.
What was the box office and production budget of Hoop Dreams?
Hoop Dreams had a reported production budget of $700K and grossed $7.8M at the worldwide box office (11.19 return on budget, classified as a blockbuster success).
Who composed the musical score for Hoop Dreams?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Hoop Dreams was composed by Ben Sidran.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Hoop Dreams?
Hoop Dreams holds official age classifications: AU: M (Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.); GB: 12 (Suitable only for 12 years and over.); US: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned — May contain intense action, language, or mature themes.).