Dawn Richard (Creator, Director), Chris Hartley (Producer), Chaz Bottoms (Animation) | 2025 | 5 min.
2026 Official Selection
“Little Stories, Big EChOes: Beads of Hope” is a powerful animated short film set in New Orleans, following Creator Dawn Richard, as young Black girl, as she navigates the chaos of a devastating flood that threatens the life of a beloved family member. The story unfolds in a historically Black neighborhood, on the day of Hurricane Katrina-now marking its 20th anniversary. To bring our city to life, we collaborated with New Orleans artists — featuring narration by Grammy winning Tarriona “Tank” Bell of Tank and the Bangas, and original music by Grammy nominated PJ Morton.
Dawn Richard (Creator, Director): Bringing a unique blend of creativity, activism and cultural influence to the project, Richard’s background in animation includes contributions to groundbreaking projects at Adult Swim. As a member of the hit girl group Danity Kane, Richard achieved pop star success, captivating audiences worldwide with her distinctive voice and style. Beyond music, she is a dedicated advocate for climate justice, working with the Hip Hop Caucus as the Artist Relations Director to address environmental issues affecting marginalized communities.
Chris Hartley (Producer): The Emmy-award winning producer behind Angelfish Productions has over 20 years of experience in animation and live-action. As the former VP of Production at Adult Swim, she has produced both short and long form content — including Rick and Morty campaigns, the global anime series FLCL, and the music special featuring Run the Jewels and Ben & Jerry’s. With experience in building creative
teams, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, and producing across mediums, Hartley is passionate about creating content that impacts the community.
