writer/director. actor.
An introverted poetry student experiments with her image. Watch on Vimeo Staff Channel: LGBTQIA+ Voices. Watch on NoBudge.
Writer, Director, EP: Melanie Notinger
Cast: Sarah Danko, Lauren Lane (THE NANNY), Tyler George, and Melanie Notinger
Associate Producer: Diane Meo
DP: Layton Blaylock
Editor: Tyler Byrnes
Comedy, Drama
9 minutes
L A U R E N L A N E
Sylo
S A R A H D A N K O
Dani
M E L A N I E N O T I N G E R
TJ
T Y L E R G E O R G E
Trevor
D I R E C T O R B I O
D I R E C T O R S T A T E M E N T
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. Her intimate short film, DRESS CODE, is featured on Girls in Film, NoBudge, and Vimeo Staff Channel: LGBTQIA+ Voices. DRESS CODE screened at festivals internationally including Newfest, CINEMQ (Shanghai) and Cinema Diverse (2021 Audience Award). Melanie wrote, directed, and starred as a severely anxious comedian in her debut short CHOKE ARTIST (Official Selection Lighthouse International Film Festival). She co-wrote and played 7 erratic roles in BROOKLYN NO-NAMES Off-Broadway – Best Script winner at the 2018 SheNYC Festival.
Melanie is an alum of Joan Scheckel's Filmmaking Series (Action Lab). She graduated cum laude with a B.F.A. in Acting from Texas State University – where her first play, BURNING AND DODGING, was produced. Melanie is currently working on her next short film. She lives in Los Angeles.
DRESS CODE is a poetic investigation of labels and how they affect us. It explores society's shame around femininity. The screenplay was inspired by the unnecessary pressure to present as either feminine or masculine. To choose. DRESS CODE explores what's in-between. As a queer storyteller, I'm fascinated by the spectrum of ways one can identify in the world.
DRESS CODE was shot in Austin, Texas with a 66% female crew. Queer collaborators were vital to the project both on-camera and behind-the-scenes. The score was written & performed by synth-glam-pop Austin native Benjamin Violet (frontman of PELVIS WRESTLEY).
Guided by the works of Joey Soloway (TRANSPARENT), Dee Rees (PARIAH), and Desiree Akhavan (APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR), the project started as a love letter to radical queer storytellers who ferociously challenge norms of identity in their work. My dream is for the film to make presentation feel more comfortable for everyone, especially those who have historically been otherized.
S C R E E N I N G S
