Living, breathing, modern-day heroes are inspiring hope on the scary streets of Chicago. Meet the Interrupters—former gang members who disrupt violence in their neighborhoods as it happens. Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Stevie) working with noted author Alex Kotlowitz, recounts the gripping stories of men and women who, with bravado, humility, and humor, strive to protect their communities from the brutality they once employed. With his signature intimate vérité, James follows these individuals over the course of a year as they attempt to intervene in disputes before they turn violent: two brothers who threaten to shoot each other, an angry teenage girl just home from prison, and a young man on a warpath of revenge.
Both a voyage into the stubborn persistence of bloodshed in our cities today and a beacon of light, James’s unforgettable documentary captures each Interrupter’s inspired work, transporting us on a powerful journey from crime to trust to redemption. –Sundance Film Festival
Steve James is the director of the acclaimed film Hoop Dreams, which won the Documentary Audience Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win multiple major critics’ prizes and an Academy Award nomination for best editing; Stevie, which won the Documentary Excellence in Cinematography Award at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival; and At the Death House Door, which won numerous festival awards. James has just completed No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson for the acclaimed ESPN series 30 for 30. –Sundance
a story of lost voices that are finally heard and helped. simply tremendous.
An extremely important film but find it at sometimes long and not very well crafted...
This is the best documentary I saw 2011. It touched me in a personal level even though I live in Finland where we have things easy and safe. The people in this movie are real flesh and bone. They show you the dark side of the gangs in Chicago and how these Interrupters are trying to make a difference, to make a safer city. If you see only one documentary from 2011, see this.
Also: Locarno to fête Preminger. 2011 lists from Cinema Scope, Sight & Sound and Reverse Shot. And more.
A quick overview of new documentaries from Steve James, Bong-Nam Park and more.
"Sundance has upped its documentary quotient this year by starting a non-competition Documentary Premieres section for veteran directors
