City So Real

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In the four-part miniseries 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, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel, embroiled in accusations of a cover-up related to the police shooting of an African-American teenager, 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, from South Side barber shops to luxurious Lake Shore Drive high-rises, James, producer Zak Piper, and their team capture 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 as a whole.

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CREDITS
Poster for City So Real
Director
Steve James
Producers
Zak Piper, Steve James
Executive Producers
Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jolene Pinder, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann
Cinematographers
Jackson James, Steve James
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