melanie notinger

Melanie is a writer/director from suburban Dallas, shaped by a childhood gender-bending in the theater and being one of the only Jewish kids in school. She recently placed as a Semifinalist in Screencraft's 2024 Virtual Pitch Competition for the pitch of her dramatic comedy pilot, Choke Artist, which made the Coverfly Red List. Her latest short film, Dress Code, is featured on Girls in Film, NoBudge, and Vimeo Staff Channel: LGBTQIA+ Voices. Starring Lauren Lane (The Nanny), it screened at festivals internationally including NewFest, CINEMQ (Shanghai) and Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival (2021 Audience Award).

Melanie began doing stand-up in Austin post-grad, defining her voice after coming out as queer in the South. Shortly after, she wrote, directed, and starred as a severely anxious comedian in her debut short, Choke Artist (Lighthouse International Film Festival). Upon moving to New York, she co-wrote and played 7 erratic roles in Brooklyn No-Names Off-Broadway - awarded Best Script at the 2018 SheNYC Festival.

Melanie is an alum of Joan Scheckel's Filmmaking Series (Action Lab). She has a B.F.A. in Acting from Texas State University, where she also studied playwriting and where her first full-length play, Burning and Dodging, was produced. Melanie lives in LA and is working on her next short film.

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