HOOPS, HOPES & DREAMS – documentary film

Tomato Beach created three animated sequences featuring dynamic basketball action for the documentary Hoops, Hopes & Dreams, premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The film tells the untold story of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and an all-star team of civil rights activists took to basketball courts to rally young voters while winning the hearts of communities, and how their strategy has echoed in contemporary politics.

CREDITS

Film director: Glenn Kaino

Animated Sequences by Tomato Beach

Animation Director and Art Director Kirill Yeretsky

Technical Director – Wing Luo

Lead Storyboard Artist – Wing Luo

Additional Storyboard Artist – Chris Wolfgang Mauch

Character Designers – Kirill Yeretsky, Wing Luo

Background Artists – Scott Brundage, Leon Nuri Keli

Editing – Kirill Yeretsky

3D Artists – Anton Tokar, Diego Murphy, Cristina Kuong

Lead Animator – Hans Carrasco

Animators – Chad Yapyapan, Anthony Cefaretti

2D Animation and Effects – Kirill Yeretsky, Scott Brundage

Compositing – Kirill Yeretsky, Anton Tokar