Hello  ✨ 

It’s officially 😎summer😎! We’re shouting out our amazing community, highlighting skill building sessions and sharing all the resources we got! Take a seat, and take a scroll📲

• 🎬 NEW INTERVIEW: Isabel Sandoval is a trans Filipina filmmaker who burst onto the scene with her 2019 feature film "Lingua Franca," which earned 20+ nominations on the awards circuit. This year Sandoval released a short in miumiu's Women's Tales, is in production on her 3rd feature and recently sold a TV series to FX Networks. ⁠⁠Read our interview with Isabel and learn how she’s uses manifestation in her career!

• NEW PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS:A Cure for All Things directed by Katherine Chou uniquely wields the sci-fi genre to tell a multigenerational story about an immigrant family and their struggles finding a sense of belonging in the past, present and future. Watch it now on our YouTube channel!

• We want to celebrate 💫So Yun Um💫 an amazing creator we interviewed for TLL! She was recently granted a Sundance Documentary Fund for her film Liquor Store Dreams. Congrats and good vibes to So Yun Um, we’re so proud to be in community with you! 

• Getting your project off the ground isn’t impossible! Read this checklist on how to make your crowdfunding project get the attention of the right audience.

• ✏️ Written by our volunteer team members, we’re proud to share some of our favorite AAPI creators in Hollywood! By no means is this list exhaustive, but just a stepping stone to art by incredible people. If you find new folks, let us know!

• Are you crowdfunding on Seed&Spark? If you have a draft campaign created on the site, get a FREE 30-minute consultation with the best of the best! Our friends on the team are offering 1-on-1 call mentoring to folks in TLL community. Sign up now! 

• 💸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!

• Our friends at non-profit Obvi are dedicated to telling women’s stories. Are you passionate about that mission? They’re looking for folks to join their team growth, strategy and other positions. They’re super fun, apply today!

• TLL talks In The Heights in Teen Vogue: The movie hit big screens and HBOMax this month, in a cinematic move that's centering Latinx joy instead of trauma. While this is a welcome change from stereotypes of old in the Latinx community, the film industry still has a ways to go when it comes to representing cultural diversity. In this article, our founder Kim shares her views as a Latina filmmaker.

• Juneteenth marked the day that two years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, enslaved people in Taxes learned they were free. Making it a federal holiday is just one part of the fight for equality — it’s also an opportunity to reflect on history and the Black experience as much as the hardship. Here’s a list of films good for education, reflection and celebration.

• Many say In The Heights is missing the mark on Latinx rep because it doesn’t capture the large Afro-Latinx population that actually lives in Washington Heights. Read more about this important conversation!

• In its first ever study on Muslim representation, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is analyzing why and how film audiences are getting a narrow portrait of Muslims. 

• GLAAD is urging Emmy voters to show support for Pose, and 40+ organizations and film festivals are joining the effort! 

• Big Mouth fans, we have SPINOFF NEWS!! Nick Kroll and Maya Rudolph will be joined by a star-studded lineup, and the newcomers are fan faves from some of our favorites series and shows! Read more to see the who’s who.

• POPSUGAR's Celebrity & Entertainment team needs some *serious* diversifying. Black, indigenous and POC editors can check out this Twitter thread for their open editorial roles. 

• Outfest, an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles, is looking to hire! From site developers to interns and production managers, opportunities, there are multiple job opps. 

• Advice from someone whos BEEN there—watch women and nonbinary directors and DPs share how they created their vision on screen!

• Applications for the second annual Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists are open! $10,000 will be awarded to a body of work that highlights the under-recognized contributions of Black trans women visual artists. Qualified artists must be U.S.-based self-identified Black trans women and trans femmes — submit your app by June 30, 2021! Check the site for more details about submission deadlines and requirements.

• 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! ✨