Hello  ✨ 

And the Oscar for best, most supportive community for women and GNC filmmakers goes to...YOU!🏆Welcome to your very own Oscars after party, TLL VIPs! We’ve got all the celebratory goodies on deck — events, news, skill building and more — so open up your TLL tote bags and let’s get to it!

• ✏️It's hard to keep up with our projects during this pandemic (trust us we know) so, come hang out with us THIS WEDNESDAY at our Writing Session + Virtual mixer. The first part of this zoom event is dedicated to quiet coworking then the second half is an opportunity for creatives to network in a no pressure, safe environment! RSVP for free here. This event is monthly, check out last month’s smiley group! 

• WATCH: Kz Elizabeth is a queer, award winning filmmaker and performer from Chicago and our latest project spotlight! She’s the director and producer of ‘Pathetic Woman,’ a surreal LGBTQ+ short film that follows Andy and Kathryn, two office co-workers, who find themselves in a sudden and absurd codependent relationship. 

• Kimmie Devereux is an NJ based singer songwriter. As part of our youtube series, Dissecting the Scene, she took us through how she directed, Normal, her WLW teen crush music video. 🏳️‍🌈 Check out what she had to share! 

• “I realized that I had to create my own path and be fearless, even in its kind of windingness; that even if it wasn't straight and clear, that I would have to forge something for myself. And then that's what kind of led me to go to grad school.” - River Gallo Read more about River Gallo! They’re an acclaimed rising filmmaker and a recipient of the 2019 GLAAD Media Rising Star Award, the 2020 Ryan Murphy HALF Initiative for television directing, and was a 2021 Berlinale Talent fellow.  

• 🎬 Branded video director extraordinaire Blair Waters is used to challenges like creative work for Amazon, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and more! But learning how to shoot her first short film came with it’s own unique struggles. She shares with us 10 things to keep top of mind when shooting a short film.

• Do you have a project you’re crowdfunding on Seed & Spark? Guess what! Anyone in our TLL community (yes, if you’re reading this, you’re our friend) can book a free consulting call with a crowdfunding expert on their team where they will answer questions. This is not a public office so, yeah, you’re special!

• 💸Discount time!! 💸Soundstripe is site for creators to find stock music, SFX, or stock video for their projects. Use our Soundstripe affiliate link or code THELIGHTLEAKS to get some $ off!

• 🎬 Chloe Zhao is the first woman of color to ever be nominated Best Director in Oscar history for her film Nomadland.⁠ And with this win, she's now the second woman in history to win Best Director! Read more about this year's winner's here.

• “Them” and “Two Distant Strangers,” among other Hollywood projects, are under fire for presenting the brutalization of Black bodies as entertainment. Critics are noting that while directors and producers aim to make strong artistic statements about race and racism, the images of violence are more triggering than impactful. 

• Whether in front of or behind the camera, the statistics are still pretty abysmal for women, nonbinary folks, POC, and LGBTQ+ creators in Hollywood. This is a REAL issue. How do we know? The proof is in the research!! 

• We may think that in 2021, Hollywood is beyond ageism. But unless your last name is Streep or McDormand, chances are you’re not working much in film. Here’s why.

• Writers! The application cycle for this year’s ViacomCBS Writers Mentoring Program closes May 1st 11:59 PM PST. This eight-month mentoring program pairs writers with exec mentors for regular check ins, access to industry leads through workshops, and the opportunity to observe the creative process. 

• 🚨We’re featuring women and nonbinary filmmakers on our website🚨 You can submit your work to be considered for our Project Spotlights, Dissecting the Scene videos, interviews and future social media content!

• Join our Facebook group! We’re building community, sharing opportunities and hyping each other up throughout the week — log on to  stay up to date with what the TLL crew is up to! 

• Looking to apply to fellowships, workshops labs, festivals and more? We’re keeping tabs of creative opportunities for filmmakers and artists. You can check them out here!

• Pitching creative ideas is a PROCESS😅 On May 24 we’re teaming up with Seed&Spark to help you highlight what makes your project special! RVSP for the workshop livestream link and an email from us with educational resources.

• 👀 PS, we're on tiktok at @thelightleaks sharing more tips, clips and fun stuff! See ya there!

• Here at TLL, we value our community's needs and creative ideas. That's why we created The Light Leaks Feedback Form. Is there something you want to see more or less of from us? Submit your thoughts and let us know!

• Like what you see? Be sure to follow us on social for more highlights, more empowerment, and more education. Here's to spreading light! ✨