Voices in Focus, 7-Year Anniversary Recap

On April 21st, 2024, The Light Leaks celebrated its remarkable seven-year journey at Who Goes There, a vibrant addition to the Valley's creative scene. Located in Sherman Oaks, California, Who Goes There is a dynamic community art space that offers a spectrum of enriching experiences, including art classes, captivating art events, and a fully-equipped photography studio.

Voices in Focus was a morning of celebration with connection, storytelling, and a delicious breakfast spread! This event was an intimate gathering where all in attendance got to know each other well and left with new friends/connections at their sides.  

Intentionally planned to be a gathering that centered our filmmakers and their contributions to TLL - we kicked off with a sumptuous breakfast spread from Blu Jam Cafe, with tofu mex hash, crunchy french toast, bacon, and cheesy eggs. We toasted with OJ and Issa Rae’s Prosecco (for those who wanted bubbly!), to 7 years of the Light Leaks and to the continuation of our mission to support women and nonbinary filmmakers. Thanks to Olipop and Seven Sunday Cereal - we were able to also enjoy yummy probiotic soda during the event as well as non GMO, tasty, sunflower powered cereal!
After brunch we got to know each other and took the conversation to a deeper place with an intentional card game that had self reflective prompts. This provided a platform for sharing industry experiences, insights, and personal journeys as filmmakers.

Each creative’s beauty and essence was celebrated with a portrait taken by our founder, Kim Hoyos and inspired by the Light Leaks name. Each attendee had their moment to shine in front of the camera, showcasing their unique style and personality.

To cap off the event, we captured the real stories from our community on their experiences within the filmmaking landscape in order to amplify their voices. 

Led by director Geneva Faye and DP Vanesa Moreno, the videos serve as a powerful testament to connection, community, and storytelling. These were beautiful moments of raw honesty and we were proud to capture the stories that this industry rather ignore. 

As a special memento, guests received a printed version of The Light Leaks' new branding guide, providing valuable insights and skills to further their artistic endeavors.

"Voices in Focus" was more than just a celebration of seven years; it was a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go.