City So Real (Episodes 1-4)
ABOUT
In the five-part documentary series CITY SO REAL, Oscar®-nominated documentarian Steve James (America to Me, Hoop Dreams) delivers a fascinating and complex portrait of Chicago, America’s third-largest metropolis and his longtime hometown. The series begins in the haze of mid-summer 2018, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel, embroiled in accusations of a cover-up related to the police shooting of an African-American teenager, Laquan McDonald, shocks the city by announcing he won’t seek reelection. An unprecedented 21 candidates emerge in a diverse and crowded field as they engage in a no-holds-barred battle for a chance to shape the city’s uncertain future. In candid interviews with residents throughout the city, the series captures Chicago’s indomitable spirit as well as its seemingly insurmountable challenges. CITY SO REAL is a gritty and loving depiction of a quintessentially American city that is at once fiercely unique and a microcosm of the nation ⎯ and our world ⎯ as a whole.
Steve James previous work includes Sundance Award winners Hoop Dreams and Stevie; The Interrupters, which won an Emmy, Independent Spirit Award, and the DuPont Columbia Journalism Award; Emmy winner, Life Itself, named best documentary by The National Board of Review, and The Producers Guild of America; the Peabody winning No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson; and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail earned James a third Emmy and a second Academy Award nomination. His docuseries, America to Me, was one of the most acclaimed TV shows of 2018. His most recent docuseries, City So Real was one of the most acclaimed TV shows of 2020. James is 67, and was born in Hampton, Virginia.
CREDITS
Steve James