Hoop Dreams is a 1994 American documentary film directed and produced by Steve James, Frederick Marx, and Peter Gilbert, with Kartemquin Films. It follows the story of two African-American high school students in Chicago and their dream of becoming professional basketball players. Originally intended to be a 30-minute short film produced for the Public Broadcasting Service, it eventually led to five years of filming and 250 hours of footage. It premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. It was only the second documentary film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing (the first being the 1970 Oscar-winning Woodstock). Despite its length (171 minutes) and unlikely commercial genre, it received high critical and popular acclaim, and grossed over $11 million worldwide. It was #1 on the Current TV special 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die. The film follows William Gates and Arthur Agee, two African-American teenagers who attend St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominantly white high school with an outstanding basketball program, coached by Gene Pingatore, whose alumni include Isiah Thomas, a star in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dealing with everything from living in poor neighborhoods to not fitting in within their school's social environment, the film documents their quest to better their lives and those of their families, celebrating the small successes along the way. The film also raises a number of issues concerning race, social class, economic division, education, and values in the contemporary United States.