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.
Editing
Five years of footage distilled into devastating narrative arcs.
Direction
Steve James earns trust so deep subjects forget cameras exist.
Director
Steve James
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Roger Ebert campaigned so hard for this Oscar snub that he changed how documentaries get nominated.
This basically invented the modern sports documentary template—every 'Last Dance' owes it rent.
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