Hello  ✨ 

Woah! Can you believe we’re three months into 2021? Something is telling us that March will be a good one... you know why? Because it’s Women’s History Month! 😍Enjoy this edition of The Light Leaks Highlights—infused with an extra dose of support, empowerment, and light for the rockstar women who show up as resilient forces in our community and beyond! 💖💫

Last but not least... Our Partnerships & Content Development Team!

Last year we started on a new journey at TLL by introducing you to our awesome team! With every link you click, vid you view, and social post your share, there’s a real-life person creating that content JUST for YOU! 💓We’re rounding out our meet-and-greet by shouting out two people who keep our community going strong: our partnerships & content development team!

Sophie

is a Long Beach-based filmmaker, photographer, and music journalist, with a Bachelor of Arts in Film & Media Studies from UC Irvine. Formerly a college radio DJ and the creative director of the online magazine More Color Media, they are now a writer for the music publication Atwood Magazine. A multimedia artist who hopes to write and direct films professionally, their work typically explores queer and intersectional stories with touches of camp, satire, and magical realism.

Daniela

is a New York native currently living in Tampa, FL. She studied advertising and public relations but has always found herself leaning towards production, having interned for BET, Quibi host Krystal Vega, and even hosted her own video series on female entrepreneurs. She hopes to transition into working on full-scale film productions and perhaps even write/produce her own films.

• TLL’s mission is to support, inspire, and educate women and nonbinary filmmakers—that’s why post-show we’re taking a critical look at the history of the Golden Globes. Are they doing the same when it comes to amplifying the voices of women and BIPOC communities? 

• To celebrate Women's History Month, this month’s edition of What We’re Watching is dedicated to Women Behind the Camera. Read on to find something new to watch!

• For us, pushing for diversity is personal—something our founder Kim knows first-hand. She spoke with People En Español's People Chica on why it's important for representation to be a focus on-screen and behind the camera. 🎥🎬🎞 Read the full interview online here or find it in print on newsstands (if you get your hands on a physical copy please tag us!!).

• What happens when women are excluded from the creative process? More times than none, that project becomes tainted by the male gaze. Dhara Patel analyzes the male gaze’s presence in The Queen’s Gambit and urges this generation of female creators to do away with this played-out perspective.

2021 Athena Film Festival Trailer

• Celebrate Women’s History Month with the Athena Film Festival! This month only, explore films and panels curated around specific topics that react and respond to this moment such as racial justice, public health, and radical self-love.

  • For 10% off on individual screening tickets use code AFFMEM10! 

• Get your dream project off the ground with help from our friends at Seed&Spark, the world’s leading crowdfunding platform. As a member of TLL community, you can get a free 30-minute consultation with one of their specialists. What are you waiting for?! Sign up to bring that project to life!

• Help us reach our monthly goal amount of $100 on Patreon! We’re so, so close at $96! With $100 pledged, we’d be able to cover our annual LLC and website costs and introduce a yearly budget for monthly contributors of written and illustrated. Check out our different membership tiers & all the cool perks we offer in return! 💞

• The Golden Globes were yesterday—winners aside, it's crucial to remember that there are 0 Black journalists represented in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (aka the people who vote for the awards).

• Queen Ruth E Carter is about to become the first Black costume designer to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! This is huge, and so deserved for her over 4 decades of work!

• Don’t worry “Insecure” fans! The announcement came in that HBO Max has ordered an 8-episode half-hour series from Issa Rae with the tentative title “Rap Sh*t.” Plus, hip hop duo City Girls will serve as co-executive producers.

• Good news! Nielsen is finally tracking diversity and inclusion on TV. Hopefully, this shows execs that diversity DOES matter to viewers.

• The pandemic is continuing to affect Hollywood, including folks like caterers, florists, event planners, and other professionals that rely on awards season for income.

• Want to be part of the magic at TLL? Well here’s your chance! Applications are open for remote volunteers to help with the creative, administrative, and small business aspects of TLL. Feel free to share this opportunity to your group chats, insta stories, and Facebook community pages. 😉

• Technological skills like video editing have historically been gatekept by men, the rich, or a combination of the two. Our founder Kim wants to empower you to learn anyway with this list of basic editing tutorials by all female creators. 

• Staying connected online is a skill we’ve all beefed up in the past year. As a volunteer team of 12 creatives working remotely across 5 time zones, the TLL crew is always looking for new ways to improve our log-on experience. For our series “The Hustle,” we’re sharing some of our favorite tools that make being virtual *almost* like working in the same room. 👩🏻‍💻👩🏼‍💻👩🏽‍💻IRL👩🏾‍💻👩🏿‍💻👩🏻‍💻

• 🗣Here’s your biweekly reminder to keep tabs on our table of opportunities—always up to date with the latest film festival, labs, and funding opportunities to apply for. Some deadlines are sooner than later, so don’t wait!

• 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! ✨