Steve James

Steve James is an American film producer and director. Born in Hampton, Virginia, he began his career with the award-winning documentary Hoop Dreams in 1994. He directed the feature Prefontaine in 1997, along with the television movies Passing Glory and Joe and Max. His documentaries include Stevie (2002), The Interrupters (2011), and Life Itself (2014), a portrait of critic Roger Ebert. He has frequently worked in Chicago, where he has long collaborated with Kartemquin Films. He also made the sports documentaries No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson (2010) and The Luckiest Guy in the World, about Bill Walton. His Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016) premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and earned him a second Academy Award nomination. His docuseries include The New Americans and America to Me, along with City So Real.