Award-winning documentary studio · Louisiana · Since 2008
Preserving the stories that matter most.
Legacy documentaries for families, churches and institutions across the Gulf South, built on genealogical research and the archive.
Selected films
Stories we've helped preserve
Feature documentaries and legacy films for communities, congregations and families, each grounded in original research and first-person testimony.
TrailerFeature documentary · 2024
The Gulfside Assembly Story
The history of one of the first African American resorts on the Gulf Coast, where faith, community and culture flourished against the backdrop of segregation.
TrailerFeature documentary · Broadcast on WYES-PBS
A Place Called Desire
The community that care forgot: one of New Orleans' earliest subdivisions for Black homeownership, told through 60+ interviews, photographs and 8mm home movies.
Institutional legacy
Blessed Sacrament–St. Joan of Arc Parish, 1909–2009
A centennial history of a New Orleans parish. Two Bronze Telly Awards.
Musician biography
From Shanghai to Harlem
Gold AVA Award and Bronze Telly winner.
Ancestral legacy
Raymond Andrew “Ray” Boseman
Communicator Award of Distinction and Bronze Telly, 2021.
How we can help
Three ways to preserve your legacy
Every family, church and institution has a story worth keeping. We help you capture it before it's too late, with broadcast-quality craft.
Living LegacyFor families honoring elders
Interview-led films that capture the voices, wisdom and memories of your most treasured family members while they can still tell the story themselves.
Explore Living Legacy →Ancestral LegacyFor those tracing their roots
Genealogical research and filmmaking combined. We work from census, court, plantation and Freedmen's Bureau records to recover the ancestors history tried to erase.
Explore Ancestral Legacy →Institutional LegacyFor churches, universities and nonprofits
Milestone and anniversary films that trace your organization from founding vision to present-day impact, built for premieres, archives and fundraising.
Explore Institutional Legacy →For churches & ministries
Preserving Sacred Stories
An online course that teaches church historians and ministry leaders to document their congregation's legacy, or let our team produce a professional documentary for you.
Our method
From the archive to the screen
Listen
A free consultation to understand the people, places and milestone behind your story.
Research
Genealogy, court records, photographs and archives, verified against primary sources.
Film
Interviews, archival restoration, narration, music and broadcast-quality editing.
Premiere
A screening for your family or congregation, plus files and an archive built to last.
Background: AI-generated illustration.
New book · Documentary in development
The Story of Louise: From $500 to Priceless
In 1833, a girl of twelve or thirteen named Louise was sold for $500 in Louisiana's sugarcane country. She went on to win an eleven-year legal battle for her freedom, documented in more than 180 pages of court records.
Leonard Smith III, her third great-grandson, began the research in 1978 after discovering a single word in an 1880 census record.
Meet the filmmaker
Leonard Smith III
Cinematic historian. Genealogist. Storyteller.
Since 1975, Leonard has worked across every part of historical research, from genealogy and photography to multimedia, film and music. He founded LS3 Studios in 2008 to help families, churches and institutions preserve the stories that define them.
Raised in New Orleans' Desire community, he brings a deep understanding of Louisiana heritage, Black church tradition and African American history to every project. His work has aired on PBS and earned eight Telly Awards.
- Xavier University of Louisiana
- Dillard University
- New Orleans Public Library
- Gulfside Assembly
Smith's skillful storytelling adds up to a compelling narrative that fills a significant void in New Orleans' history.
His blueprint helped me to bring my family history to film.
He showed us how to tell a person's story digitally while showing their photos.
Let's begin
Every family has a story. Let's preserve yours.
Tell us about the person, congregation or milestone you want to honor. Consultations are free and there is no obligation.