Steve James (born March 8, 1954) is an American film producer and director of several documentaries, including ''

Hoop Dreams ''Hoop Dreams'' is a 1994 American documentary film directed by Steve James, and produced by Frederick Marx, James, and Peter Gilbert, with Kartemquin Films. It follows the story of two African-American high school students, William Gates an ...

'' (1994), '' Stevie'' (2002), ''

The Interrupters ''The Interrupters'' is a 2011 documentary film, produced by Kartemquin Films, that tells the story of three violence interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. It examines a year in which Chi ...

'' (2011), '' Life Itself'' (2014), and '' Abacus: Small Enough to Jail'' (2016).

Early life

James was born in Hampton, Virginia.

Career

In 1997, James directed the feature film '' Prefontaine'' and the TV movies ''Passing Glory'' and ''Joe and Max''. One of his more recent films, ''

'' which is a portrayal of a year inside the lives of former gang members in Chicago who now intervene in violent conflicts, was released in January 2011. Earlier it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is his sixth feature length collaboration with his long-time filmmaking home, the non-profit Chicago production studio

Kartemquin Films Kartemquin Films is a four-time Oscar-nominated 501(c)3 non-profit production company located in Chicago, Illinois, that produces a wide range of documentary films. It is the documentary filmmaking home of acclaimed producers such as Gordon Quinn ( ...

,. It is his fifth feature to be accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. While working with Kartemquin Films, James has produced many films that pursue social inquiry and change. Their collaborations include the 1994 hit ''Hoop Dreams'', which is one of James' best known works. Kartemquin films, a non-profit group that produces films promoting "social inquiry", is based in Chicago. Much of James' work is based in the area, predominantly the inner cities and impoverished areas. Their collaborations often involve the topics of sports and race, including the

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

30 for 30 ''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes three "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series un ...

film '' No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson''. On September 7, 2012, it was announced via social networking site

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that James would be involved in the making of a documentary on the life of film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

which eventually became the 2014 effort '' Life Itself''. He directed the documentary film ''Head Games'' which follows football player and wrestler Chris Nowinski's quest to uncover the truth about the consequences of sports related head injuries.

Influences

He is a graduate of

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

. His work, he tells journalist

Robert K. Elder Robert K. Elder (born January 20, 1976) is an American journalist, author, and film columnist. He is currently the President and CEO othe Outrider Foundation He has written more than a dozen books on topics ranging from the death penalty and m ...

in an interview for ''

The Film That Changed My Life ''The Film That Changed My Life'' (also known as ''The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark'') is a non-fiction collection of interviews compiled by American journalist, author and film columnist Robert K. Elder. ...

'', was strongly influenced by the film ''

Harlan County, USA ''Harlan County, USA'' is a 1976 American documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike", a 1973 effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan C ...

'':

There've been many documentaries over the years that have powerfully impacted me. I think this one came along at the time when I was more interested in being a feature filmmaker than a documentary filmmaker. So it came along at the beginning of a process of moving from an interest in feature film to documentaries, and that's where my career has taken me. It came along at the right time for me. It helped me see, "Ah, this is more what I want to do."

James pulls influence from the original definition of the term

cinéma vérité Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or high ...

as it applies to the Rouch/Morin method of filmmaking. As with Rouch and Morin, the "people on camera and we in the audience are continually reminded that a film is being made, that we are watching a film." We are reminded through James' presence on screen as well as his cinematic editing techniques, in order to obtain what he believes is a more accurate depiction of truth. He also was influenced by

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

's 1975 film ''

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

''.

Filmography

*''Stop Substance Abuse'', 1986 *''Grassroots Chicago'', 1991 (with Kartemquin Films) *''Higher Goals'', 1993 (with Kartemquin Films) *''

'', 1994 (with Kartemquin Films) *'' Prefontaine'', 1997 *''

Passing Glory ''Passing Glory'' is a 1999 basketball-drama film produced for TNT, written by Harold Sylvester, and directed by Steve James. It is based on a true story. This movie stars Andre Braugher, Rip Torn, and Sean Squire, and features a speaking role b ...

'', 1999 (TV) *''

Joe and Max ''Joe and Max'' is a 2002 American-German boxing film directed by Steve James (producer), Steve James and based on the true story of the Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, two boxing matches between American Joe Louis and German Max Schmeling. Plot In ...

'', 2002 (TV) *'' Stevie'', 2003 (with Kartemquin Films) *''

The New Americans ''The New Americans'' is a seven-hour American documentary, produced by Kartemquin Films, which was originally broadcast on American television over three nights on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in late March 2004. Description The obs ...

'', 2004 (executive producer, Nigerian story director) (with Kartemquin Films) *''Reel Paradise'', 2005 *''

The War Tapes ''The War Tapes'' is a 2006 American war documentary film directed by Deborah Scranton. The film is the first documentary account of the 2003 invasion of Iraq to be produced by the soldiers themselves. The film (released commercially in 2006) fo ...

'', 2006 (producer) *''

At the Death House Door ''At the Death House Door'' is a 2008 documentary film about Carroll Pickett, who served as the death house chaplain to the infamous "Walls" prison unit in Huntsville, Texas. It was produced and directed by the team of Steve James and Peter Gilb ...

'', 2008 (with Kartemquin Films) *'' No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson'', 2010 (ESPN 30 for 30 project) (with Kartemquin Films) *''

'', 2011 (with Kartemquin Films) *'' Head Games'', 2012 *'' Life Itself'', 2014 (with Kartemquin Films) *''Lucky'', 2014 *'' Abacus: Small Enough to Jail'', 2016 (with Kartemquin Films) *'' America to Me'', 2018 (with Kartemquin Films) * ''

City So Real ''City So Real'' is an American documentary miniseries directed by Steve James, revolving around the 2019 mayoral election in Chicago, Illinois, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social upheaval following the murder of George Floyd. ...

'' (2020)

References

External links

*
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with James and Sgt. Zack Bazzi, about ''The War Tapes'', July 16, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Steve 1954 births Living people Southern Illinois University alumni American film directors American documentary film producers Directors Guild of America Award winners James Madison University alumni