Donta Storey’s ‘Lime’ Now Available on Amazon Prime

Since childhood, Donta Storey has been a creative force. The nonbinary emerging actor, writer, producer, and director has recently released their directorial debut epic short film Lime, which is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Loosely based on Storey’s own struggles growing up different in the predominately Black community of Compton, Lime tells the story of how they found their voice through oppression.

Lime was recipient of the Honorable Mention at the San Francisco Black Film Festival in 2019, and just ended a successful run in March as part of the Outfest Fusion Film Festival. Storey’s mission as a non-binary, Black, queer human is to tell stories that start conversations and help spread the message that everyone matters. Shape, size, color, sexual preference, or gender make no difference.

OUT FRONT caught up with Storey to talk more about the creative process behind Lime, how they hope to bring queer people to the forefront in cinema, and what it was like growing up and returning to Compton. Storey is currently working on their next film, Dooley Does Murder!, which is a dark comedy with campy horror elements.

Hi, Donta! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me about your new short film, Lime. Without giving too much away, can you tell us more about it?
Lime is a story about a young man who is faced with a traumatic event that calls into question whether or not he should continue on the path that he’s on. It’s a story about overcoming adversity, and I hope as a filmmaker, I speak to people questioning whether or not they matter, whether or not they are worthy of existing. That is something I had a lot of trouble growing up with, and that is what Lime is to me, and for audiences.

The concept of Lime stems from your personal experiences growing up in Compton as a non-binary black queer human, correct?
Yes.

What was the coming-out process like for you, and were your family and friends supportive?
That’s a good question. If I can be honest, I don’t think I actually had an official coming out, ever. When I was younger, people would just tell me what they thought I was. It was more of a matter-of-fact thing. It was never me just saying, ‘This is who I am.’ As soon as I became an adult, I was finally able to sit my mom and siblings (I am the oldest of six) down and say, individually, that this is who I am. This is the path that makes sense for me, and if you have any questions, come to me. I want us to be able to discuss this. I don’t want it to be awkward. My mom, she has always been every understanding and accepting, but I do know that my existence and how I identify, at least the way I perceived it, made her life complicated.

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When I was a kid, I thought she would be embarrassed of me, and I always thought she kind of hid me. It wasn’t until I became an adult and I realized I was in my own little world of fear and insecurity because all of my mom’s friends, they were well aware of who I am. It was made clear to me that she has always supported me, no matter what I did. So, it wasn’t a bad thing. It was more of them being curious as to what nonbinary was, or is for me. That’s what it was. It wasn’t until I became an adult and actually had the pleasure of having that conversation with people in my life.

Pop culture and the media hardly ever paint Compton in a positive light, so I want to ask, what was it really like to grow up there?
It was a mixture. There’s the Compton that you see in the media, you know. Unfortunately, there are people that are lost due to gang violence, and a lot of people fall into the wrong situation with the wrong type of people, but there is so much more that comes from Compton. There are so many athletes that make it out of that space and go on to live successful lives. There are people who become teachers. I have a lot of friends that I grew up with who wanted to give back to the community.

There’s so much love for the community, and I love everything that Compton is. It’s culture, food, music, kids, working families, people trying to take care of each other despite what the media portrays. You know, N.W.A. is huge in hip-hop culture. We are normal. I was in marching band and drill team growing up. I wasn’t a part of a gang, but when you tell people, even those living in L.A., like what part do you live in, and you say Compton, they’re like, ‘Oh.’ So, growing up in Compton was bittersweet. It was a lot of good mixed in with traumatic events. A little bit of everything.

What inspired you to create Lime?
Originally, I don’t think I set out to make this film on purpose. I was facing some trauma from my childhood; one of the traumas was being assaulted. Because I was different, because I was queer. I know that because that is what they told me as they were doing it. So, I was talking to my therapist, and I was like, you know, this stuff has been resurfacing as of late. My therapist was like, maybe we need to face that. Let’s work on that. She gave me homework, and part of that was to write a letter to my younger self. I was like OK, sure, this sounds like something you’d hear about in the movies, but OK. Whatever.

When I sat down, emotion, love, and compassion for my younger self poured onto the page. This was around the same time I wanted to actually go into directing and be the boss of my own career in terms of the art I create. So, I realized that this is powerful. I think this is important as to who I am as a filmmaker and storyteller. It was extremely cathartic, and in that moment, I knew it was necessary. So, it was something I didn’t want to do, but it was something I needed to do.

You left Compton 15 years prior to making this film. Was it difficult or emotional to return and revisit your past?
It was. When we went back to scout locations, a lot of great memories came rushing back to me. I was explaining to my producers, this is where this happened, and this is where I went to school. A lot of great things happened, and I even ran into some college friends during our scouting process. I was, like, coming full circle. Although, being there on set and filming, there were some concerns in terms of, like, the areas in which we were shooting.

The drill team and the band that we worked with wears a lot of purple, and that is a conflicting color with one of the gangs in the area that we shot. So, that shot me back down to reality. There were, like, 60 people that came out to support us, family and friends, but there were some people there who were not giving off too good of vibes. So, we had a conversation with them, and they were very supportive.

That made me step back and take a look at myself because I immediately became one of those people who are, like, looking at the headlines saying Compton is this and that. I was thinking, maybe we really shouldn’t have come back here because I didn’t want to put people in danger, but it was the total opposite. These people were excited that we were shooting a movie, so it was a nice surprise.

How has Lime been received by audiences?
Honestly, very well. What was so important to me about this story is that I wanted to show it in as many Black spaces as possible. Being a queer person of color means something very different than being a queer, white person in this country. It was difficult living in a community that I love, but felt I wasn’t a part of, and that’s what Lime addresses. Like, it’s one thing if the world gives me a hard time for being who I am, but you don’t expect that from the people that you live and grow up with. So, it was important for a Black audience to see it because I wanted to address homophobia within our community, homes, and family structures.

It was so well-received in D.C. and San Francisco, and audiences were mixed. There were young people, older people, men, women, straight, queer. Our last festival was Outfest in Los Angeles, and that was, like, full-circle because that was the first time we screened the film publicly in L.A., where I’m from, and amongst the whole, queer audience.

It just makes me feel great because so many people came up to me after the screening or DMed me on Instagram saying how much they appreciate the movie and thanking me for telling my story. I like to think people really connected to it. I don’t know if they are excited because it is a heavy short film, and it’s pretty heavy, but people connected to it and were able to take something away. That’s why I do this work.

What do you hope audiences take away from it?
You know, there are people who kind of let me know that they don’t identify as queer, but they know somebody who has been through that. I remember we had a screening in New York, and we had a Q&A after. A lot of the people there were really happy that the grandmother in the film was so supportive because some of them were expecting him to not have that support system in his home. They were like, I’m that person for my niece or nephew, and I hate that I don’t see myself as an ally on the screen because we’re here. We want people to know we are here.

So, from allies feeling seen to people saying thank you for sharing. I had a teacher com up to me in D.C., and he said, ‘You know, I really loved the film, and I would like to show it in my class. I have been wanting to find a way to break the ice when it comes to bullying and intolerance, and you did that so well. I think it would be a nice starting point.’ So, the reception is really cool, and I think depending on who people are, they take different things away from Lime.

And this is also your directorial debut. What have you, personally, taken away from this experience?
A lot. At 32, I find myself every day learning something new about myself. I made this film in January 2019, and wrote it in July 2018, so it’s going on two years for the Lime process as a whole. I learned that if you really, and I know this is going to sound cliché, but if you really put your mind to something, you really can do it. I have always wanted to direct; I used to force it on my family as a kid, but to do it professionally is a huge undertaking.

You want to make a great film, but also, it’s important that you learn to collaborate with many different collaborators. Being the writer and director of this film, it’s my baby. It’s about me and loosely based on my experiences in life. So, I learned to be a better collaborator and a better listener. I am an also an actor, so listening to actors is important. I have learned a lot. Like I said, from a personal space, it was cathartic. I now feel like I can conquer the world, and I am excited to direct my next film.

Have you always had a passion for storytelling?
Yes, I have. I use to write poetry and short stories as a kid.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform as a nonbinary, Black, queer entertainer and storyteller?
Honestly, I want to continue to tell stories that put everyone on a threshold. Whether you are non-binary, trans, cis, queer—we are all different. Everyone has a beautiful, sometimes cathartic, inspirational story. I love them. I used to go to the dollar movie theatre when I was a kid all the time to see different movies, ones that I didn’t even know were going to be there.

I would sit there for hours and watch films. So, I love humans, I love stories, I love all of it. So, I just want to tell great stories. I want to tell stories that put us at the forefront. I don’t think we should be at the forefront because of our differences. I would like to tell stories where people are queer and they just are. You know what I mean? He’s an architect who just happens to be queer. I want to tell stories that put us at the forefront without doing it in a way that I’m not, like, feeding the tokenism. I just want us to exist in cinema.

Can you talk more about your new film project Dooley Does Murder!, and have you started production?
Yes! I am so excited about Dooley Does Murder! I am a big horror and camp fan. So, Dooley Does Murder! is like my love letter to camp. The film is about a door-to-door salesman, and he learns that he is not the greatest salesman, so through rejection and just kind of reaching his breaking point, he discovers that he has an appetite for the human neck.

He’s sexually attracted to the human neck, and that turns to murder. Not to give too much away, but it is a camp comedy with a horror element, and we were filming in Echo Park. We were going to film in Castro in San Francisco because I love the Castro area, but I couldn’t find the right location, so we relocated to Echo Park.

Because of coronavirus, we had to put things on hold. Hopefully we can get back to in in the next few weeks. So, yes, I am very excited because in addition to directing, I will also be acting in this film.

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. How challenging is it going to be to shoot a movie while staying safe and abiding by social distancing guidelines?
That’s a good question, and I have been talking with all my friends in the industry and people I know. Overall, for smaller productions, I think we can do it in a way that is safe. You know, have under 10 people on set. If actors aren’t needed, no need to even come in. We only have people there who are necessary. If you are lucky enough to find locations that have extra spaces, separate everybody. Have makeup in a certain area, and really just follow all the guidelines. Have sanitizer, keep masks on when not on screen, gloves for makeup artists who don’t feel comfortable actually touching an actor.

I think it is going to be a challenge, but I really hope people abide by the rules. Life is too precious. The movies can wait; we don’t have to rush it. Please don’t do that. So, that is something that has been on my mind. I’m OK with waiting because I would like to be here for a while. We are going to play it safe.

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Before we wrap up, are there any other projects we should be on the lookout for?
There are. There are some of which I can’t talk about in the acting area, but 2021 will be a really good year for me. I have dreamed of this my whole life, and I am really excited to finally be in a place where I can work in this business in a way that I feel included. I never thought I would be able to do this while being myself. I feel so blessed for publications and producers like Ryan Murphy and Lena Waithe who are creating shows where queer people are main characters.

We are also directing and writing, so not only are we in front of the camera, but we’re behind the camera too. That makes me feel like I can do this, and I’m doing it. I am just so excited for the future. There are so many great things.

Follow Storey on Twitter (@DontaStorey) and Instagram (@dontastorey) to stay up to date on information and new projects.