Some minority student filmmakers will be able to ease the cost of production from their own pockets thanks to a $5,000 award to the cinema and photography department donated by Hoop Dreams director Steve James.

The documentary film, which follows the aspirations of two black boys’ pursuit for professional basketball fame, won James a monetary award from MTV earlier this spring which he has decided to share with his alma mater.

In an SIUC News press release, James said the project is designed to lift the financial obstacles for some of the minority students involved in filmmaking.

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There is a paucity of minority voices in the film industry, James said. One of the ways to start to correct that is by making it easier for minority students to choose film majors because they will know they’ll have some financial help.

Gary Kolb, head of the cinema and photography department, said James lent both his name and support to the school.

He feels it is important to give minorities a chance at filmmaking, Kolb said. Traditional high cost of production has limited minorities in this department, but this will go a long way towards breaking that barrier.

Minorities are limited because many are in a lower socio-economical situation.

Kolb said the Minority Filmmakers Award Fund is the first step in generating a permanent fund, and he is hoping to raise over $100,000 to establish an endowment.

We want to do a number of things, such as set up scholarship awards, yearly symposiums on minority filmmakers and establish an endowment chair of minority filmmaker, he said. The potential is there to be much more than what we are expecting.

James said the endowment will have to build interest before the money can be distributed to the students.

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It may be a few years, but it could happen very quickly, he said. The earliest would be in the spring of 97, but it could be a year later than that date.