A filmmaking
collective
deconstructs
traditional narratives
with a diverse
mini-series of
cross-cultural shorts
A group of 17 emerging Midwestern filmmakers explore friendship, loss, community, and displacement in an upcoming anthological mini-series of cross-cultural shorts called HOOPS.
Produced by Kelechi Agwuncha, the stories follow separate but interwoven narratives that “meditate on how these ideas evolve with the places we inhabit,” according to a press release.
Together, they form a trilogy that ventures through locations selected by the collective.
The first installment of HOOPS will release on August 1 at 3 p.m. on www.hoops.fyi, with the final acts publishing on subsequent Thursdays of that month.
HOOPS | OFFICIAL TRAILER
The chapters
Shorelines, strips of road, concrete playing fields, and domestic environments are just a few of the settings that appear in the course of three distinct chapters:
Courtsgiving Offers a candid look at characters who attempt to go about their daily routine on a basketball court but experience an unexpected disruption.
Habitual Avenues is a step towards a looser and more documentary form, glimpsing into blissed out, reflective tales of relationships and desire upon streets.
i care 4 is built on a collage of animated and digital footage pieced together to unearth private rituals within the serenity of a lake and thrills of a kitchen.
‘Transaction’ directed by Mitch Mitchell, co-written by Mitchell and Lydia Stoik
The filmmakers
HOOPS’ contributing filmmakers have created work that has been featured in places like Channel 101, the Toronto International Film Festival, PBS, the Black International Cinema Berlin, Palace International Film Festival, Little Muddy Film Festival, and the Los Angeles Transgender Film Festival.
Among them is Adia Ivey, co-founder of YouMatters Studios, who considers herself fortunate for the opportunity to contribute.
“HOOPS is a striking example of deconstructing traditional narrative storytelling with diverse stories made by a diverse crew,” she explains. “The unrestricted creativity the team’s shown is a bold reminder that film isn’t contained to a single aesthetic, and I feel really lucky to have taken part in it.”
Send your film updates to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
