Hi, I’m Shauna Bryant, a 27 year old American photographer and documentary filmmaker currently living in France. I’m hoping to travel back to the United States to make an intimate documentary about my childhood friend, Leah Craft, on Catalina Island.

Leah grew up spending summers on the island, and now, as an adult, she calls herself an “outside person,” navigating life without a permanent home. Over the years, she's faced many hardships, including addiction and loss. Yet despite these experiences, Leah remains remarkably warm, grounded, and optimistic. She carries a quiet strength that reflects the duality of pain and positivity that exists within all of us.

Through this film, I want to explore those contradictions, showing how hardship and joy can coexist. My intention is simply to follow Leah’s daily life with care and curiosity, to understand the path that led her to where she is today, and how she continues to move through the world on her own terms.

This documentary is deeply personal. Leah and I met at six years old and spent our childhood in the same neighborhood until after we graduated high school. Our shared history gives me a special closeness and responsibility in telling her story. I want to document her experiences with love, respect, and honesty.

I’m filming this solo, with minimal equipment and a mix of fly-on-the-wall and abstract visuals. The project will take place over seven days this spring. With your help I can not only give Leah a platform to safely share her story, but reconnect with my childhood friend again. Thank you all!

The funds will go towards: