Donta Storey – LiME

By starrymag | May 11, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for LiME.

 

A) LiME is a film about overcoming adversity. We walk in the footsteps of a young person learning to truly embrace who they are despite the bitterness of the world.

 

Q) What inspired you to write the film?

 

A) LiME and the films protagonist are based on myself and parts of my youth. As a storyteller you want to tell a vast variety of stories, but you don’t get to do that without telling your own or sprinkling bits of yourself into others. At the time that I wrote LiME I was on a personal journey where I was trying to address traumas from my past. When I sat down to write, I didn’t know that this what was gonna come out. Writing and Directing this film was a truly cathartic experience.

 

Q) What is it about Deshawn’s life that makes him uncomfortable being himself in his surroundings?

 

A) I think when you’re made to feel “different” or like and outsider it can be really uncomfortable. I think with LiME I wanted to address homophobia, but not just in general. I wanted to explore what that can mean in my community, the black community. I think Deshawn (Urian Mchugh) treats himself the way others treat him and in many ways he’s uncomfortable with being himself in the community he’s from because he’s unfortunately been met with intolerance.

Q) How involved were you in the casting of the film?

 

A) I wear many hats and on LiME, producer was one of them. As a producer I was able to cast, work on set design, costume design and, honestly, every department we had. Casting was one of the toughest jobs to have because you want to get it right.

Q) Often the setting plays a role in a movie. How does Compton truly play a significant part in LiME?

 

A) I’m from Compton and I’m very proud of that fact, so much so that I made sure to write it in this film. We filmed in Compton over two days and every scene is shot in an area I grew up in. I made sure to include certain landmarks as a thank you to the city for all of the lessons learned while growing up there.

 

Q) As a director and producer, what most surprised you about making this movie that you weren’t expecting?

 

A) I didn’t realize how much sleep I would lose going into this. Working as the producer and director and having your hands in every pot can be rewarding, but also extremely stressful. I had an amazing crew and producing partners, so together we got through it, but I don’t think I realized how much work it would be.

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to shoot?

 

A) I have a few, but I really enjoyed working in the alley way. Deshawn dances in a broken mirror and this is something taken right from my youth. It stands out to me because it’s at this moment the character really shows us how ashamed he is of himself for being different and or wanting different things. For me, it’s a heartbreaking moment, but for personal reasons I really enjoyed filming that scene and revisiting that space.

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day of filming?

 

A) My producers and I actually grabbed dinner on night one of filming in West Hollywood at Wokcanos, which is one of my favorite restaurants. Day two we took a long road trip out of town. It was a hectic filming schedule, but worth every second.

 

Q) What did you personally take away from bringing this movie to life?

 

A) Hard work pays off and championing yourself sand your stories matters. When you put heat behind yourself, amazing things can happen.

 

Q) What message do you hope viewers take away from watching LiME?

 

A) I hope viewers take away the belief that it’s okay to be whoever it is you are. I hope that the film touches one person who may be doubting their importance and or one person who feels like they won’t ever find their place on this planet. LiME truly is a film about finding yourself and championing yourself despite the trials you may face in life. If you hang on, things will get better.