Coming to NYC’s Maysles Cinema (as part of a special Masterclass with director Steve James) next Thursday, July 28: NO CROSSOVER: THE TRIAL OF ALLEN IVERSON
Oscar-nominated director Steve James went back to his hometown of Hampton, VA for his part in ESPN’s 30 FOR 30 series. It had its world premiere at SXSW last year.
No stranger to basketball – besides his acclaimed HOOP DREAMS, he played in high school – James relates the contentious 1993 story of up and coming court star Allen Iverson. Clearly on a path from high school stardom to the NBA, Iverson took a detour in 1993 when he was allegedly involved in a racially charged fight at a local bowling alley. Tried together with a group of his friends as an adult, Iverson faced a potentially career-killing trial, and one which split Hampton, leaving painful wounds to this day. Given his connection to Hampton and its community, James takes a personal approach to the story, narrating and also appearing in the film conducting interviews with not only people close to the Iverson case, but with his mother and family friends. Regular readers of this blog will note that I’m generally not a fan of filmmakers inserting themselves in their films in this manner, and I’m not convinced this was the best tactic for James to take, though there is justification for such an approach. Still, it’s not employed consistently enough to my liking, making these elements pale in comparison to segments in which James is not as present. Despite this, the film as a whole offers a provocative close reading of a specific incident that put in relief the intersection of race, athletics, and the justice system. In so doing, the film successfully moves far beyond being a doc about sports to address much more expansive concerns.
Note: James will be present for a post-screening Q&A.
what (not) to doc 