Documentarian Steve James, who directed "Hoop Dreams" in 1994, embarked on a new mission the following year. In 1995, he returned to rural Southern Illinois to reconnect with Stevie Fielding, a troubled young male to whom he had served as mentor and Big Brother, ten years earlier. James intended to capture the happy reunion on camera. What he discovers, instead, is a grown-up, Stevie, who is utterly impoverished and living in a trailer-park. The filmmaker embarks on a quest to uncover what exactly happened to Stevie over the past ten years; as well, James tries to understand the forces that ultimately shaped Stevie's life and turned it into the dour existence that it has become. Part way through the filming, Stevie is arrested and charged with a serious crime that rips his family apart. That which was intended to be a modest profile turns into an intimate four-and-a-half-year chronicle of Stevie, his broken family, the criminal justice system, and the filmmaker himself--as they all struggle with accepting the crime that Stevie has committed, while trying to understand the person who has become.

Director:
Steve James	Director
Cast:
Stevie Fielding	as Himself
Steve James	as Himself
Verna Hagler	as Herself
Bernice Hagler	as Herself
Brenda Hickam	as Herself
Doug Hickam	as Himself
Tonya Gregory	as Herself
Cinematography:
Dana Kupper	Cinematographer
Gordon Quinn	Cinematographer
Peter Gilbert	Cinematographer
Producer:
Adam Singer	Producer
Steve James	Producer
Gordon Quinn	Producer
Gordon Quinn	Executive Producer
Robert May	Executive Producer
Kathryn Tucker	Associate Producer
Peter Gilbert	Co-Producer
Editing:
Steve James	Editor
William Haugse	Editor
Music:
Dirk Powell	Composer
Linda Cohen	Music Supervisor
Sound:
Adam Singer	Sound
Tom Yore	Sound
Production Companies:
Senart Films	Production Company
Kartemquin Films Ltd	Production Company
Lionsgate	Domestic Theatrical Distributor
Cinemax	Domestic Tv Distributor
Studio Home Entertainment	Domestic Video Distributor
Film Production - Main:
Karen Larson	Production Manager

Nominated for the 2003 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary.

Winner of Best Cinematography (Documentary Competition) at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

Released in United States April 4, 2003

Released in United States March 28, 2003

Released in United States on Video/DVD September 9, 2003

Released in United States September 9, 2003

Released in United States Spring March 28, 2003

Aired in USA on Cinemax July 27, as part of the "Reel Life" documentary series.

Shown at Sundance Film Festival (Documentary Competition) January 16-26, 2003.

Shown at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Documentary Competition) February 28-March 9, 2003.

Shown at Toronto International Film Festival September 5 -14, 2002.

35mm

color

rtg MPAA NONE

Released in United States March 28, 2003 (New York City)

Released in United States Spring March 28, 2003

Released in United States April 4, 2003 (Los Angeles)

Released in United States on Video/DVD September 9, 2003

Released in United States September 9, 2003