NATION/WORLD UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, February 15, 1995
5B
'Hoop Dreams'an airball for Oscar
Omission prompts criticism regarding selection process
The Associated Press
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Joining an infamous list that includes some of the most acclaimed documentaries of the past decade, "Hoop Dreams" failed to earn an Oscar nomination yesterday for best documentary feature.
"Hoop Dreams" follows Chicago high school stars Arthur Agee and William Gates for 41/2 years as they pursue dreams of playing pro ball. Both now are college seniors — Agee at Arkansas State, Gates at Marquette — and play for their schools.
"Hoop Dreams" was launched in 1986 as a short film about street basketball but rapidly became more. Filmmakers Steve James, Fred Marx and Peter Gilbert followed Agee and Gates, taping more than 250 hours in gyms, classrooms and the players' homes.
It took more than two years to edit,
and the final length of nearly three hours might be part of the reason it wasn't nominated, according to one member of the nominating committee.
It was nominated for an Oscar for best editing.
The omission of the inner-city basketball saga — following slights of "Roger and Me," "The Thin Blue Line" and "The Civil War" — raised fresh criticism that the Academy's documentary committee is out of touch.
"It's a miscarriage of justice and fairness," said film critic Roger Ebert. "Hoop Dreams' is obviously the best documentary America has produced in years."
The five nominated documentary features were "Maya Lin," "Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter," "D-Day Remembered," "Freedom on My Mind" and "A Great Day in Harlem."
"I have yet to hear of any of these movies that were nominated," said Michael Barker, whose well-reviewed Sony Classics release "Crumb" also was overlooked.
"Hoop Dreams" already has won the Golden Globe for best documentary, and the equivalent awards from the National Society of Film Critics
and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Those left out of the Oscar documentary category were particularly indignant that the chairwoman of the committee nominating films saw her own obscure documentary win a nomination. Academy officials said Freida Lee Mock was prohibited from voting for her "Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision," but filmmakers said the conflict was too profound.
"They've been very careful to say that they avoid a conflict of interest," said Ira Deutchman, whose Fine Line Features distributed "Hoop Dreams" and pushed the movie for a best-picture nomination. "But this is a group of people who spend a lot of time together."
For most categories except best picture, Academy voters are divided into branches. Costume designers nominate costume designers, editors pick editors, and so on.
There is no documentary branch, however. Forty-seven mostly veteran Academy members actors, producers, directors form a committee that nominates documentary features in a secret ballot, said committee vice chairman Walter Shenson.
"We looked at 64 movies this year," Shenson said. "The public and the press don't see as many movies as we do. We thought there were five better films ... Democracy is painful — it's not always easy."
He said Mock was banned from committee meetings and screenings. "We are scrumulous," he said.
Mitchell Block, a committee member who didn't vote because he represents "D-Day," said "Hoop Dreams" may have suffered from its length. "If it was a really tight two hours, it would have sailed right through," he said.
Several filmmakers said "Hoop Dreams," the cartoonist Art Crumb's movie "Crumb" and "Martha & Ethel," a biography of two nannies, should have been on the list.
"To see the documentary committee ignore these films is very puzzling. I don't see the criteria," said Sony's Barker.
It's a familiar refrain.
Filmmakers can rattle off a slew of highly regarded documentaries left off the Academy Award honor roll in recent years: "Paris is Burning," "Brother's Keeper," "A Brief History of Time," "Sherman's March" and "28 Up," among many others.
LOOK FOR THE BONUS STICKERS FILL YOUR CARD QUICKER TO WIN!
WHOLE CUT UP FRYERS
SUNKIST
NAVEL
ORANGES
LARGE 88 SIZE
10 FOR $1
BONELESS CHUCK ROAST
FRESH CRISP CARROTS OR
5 LB. BAG
ALL PURPOSE RUSSET
POTATOES
20 LB. BAG
148
EA.
FRESH SLICED
1/4 PORK
LOIN
1 48
LB.
9-11 ASST.
PORK CHOPS
The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts Lied Series Presents
THE
3:30 p.m., Sunday February 19, 1995
With Eliot Fisk Classical Guitar
Discover new heights in the enchanting harmonies of this talented ensemble and their special guest.
Tickets on sale at the Lied Center Box Office (864-ARTS); Murphy Hall Box Office (864-3842); and any Tickethater outlet (913) 234-4545 and (815) 931-3330; all seats reserved; pplc $15 and $12, KU students and K-12 students $7.50 and $6.00, senior citizens and other students $14 and $11; phone orders can be made using Mastercard or VISA.
Special thanks is this year the Very Important Partners: Kieff Audio and Video, Land Nair Dealerships, Payless ShoeSource and W.T. Kemper Foundation, Commercial Bank Trusts
MICROTECH
COMPUTERS, INC
Multimedia Mania? Systems come standard with:
8MB RAM
Microsoft Mouse 2.0a
► MS DOS 6.22 & WFW 3.11
▶ Microsoft Works For Windows v3.0
101-Key Enhanced Keyboard
10-11 Key Enhanced Keyboard
14" UVAGA, NL 28 D-Pitch Monitor
14" UVGA, NI, .28 Dot-Pitch Monitor
3 Years Parts & Labor Limited Warranty
Double-Spin IDE CD-ROM
Double-Spin IDE CD-ROM
16-bit Sound Bravo 16 Sound Card
► MLI 691 4W+4W Amplified Speaker
Netware Tested and Approved
- Choice Of CD-ROM Software Titles: Software Bundle, Toolworks, or Microsoft Encarta and MS Golf
System 420MB HD 540MB HD 850MB HD 1GB HD
DX2-66 $1942 $1968 $2069 $2199
DX2-80 $1925 $1949 $2030 $2169
DX4-100 $2069 $2129 $2199 $2269
PEN 60 $2179 $2199 $2299 $2399
PEN 90 $2499 $2539 $2639 $2773
25TH AND IOWA IN THE TOWER PLAZA PHONE 842-2667 (NEXT TO APPLEBEES)
SETTING THE STANDARDS FOR TODAY'S COMPUTER SALES