Steve James (born March 8, 1955)[1][2] is an American film producer and director of several documentaries, including Hoop Dreams (1994), Stevie (2002), The Interrupters (2011), Life Itself (2014), and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016).
In 1997, James directed the feature film Prefontaine followed by the TV movies Passing Glory and Joe and Max.
The Interrupters, a portrayal of a year inside the lives of former gang members in Chicago who now intervene in violent conflicts, was released in 2011 after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.
James has directed several other documentaries focusing on sports, among them ESPN 30 for 30 films No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson and The Luckiest Guy in the World, a biography of legendary basketball player Bill Walton.
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.