​

Logline:

Calen, a queer black woman, navigates her inner turmoil, anxiety and worldly external forces while receiving guidance from her ancestor Dula to seek and find her fearlessness. She realizes she's always had the power within to conquer her fears, and find her brave future.

​

Concept:

The concept behind this short film was to illustrate the multiple sources of trauma and anxiety that intersectional, black and queer individuals faced in the chaotic world of 2020 and the lasting impacts of that reality, including : the COVID-19 pandemic, racial oppression and police violence, and queer identity and discrimination. It is also a creative interpretation of ancestral religion and traditional practices of black spirituality in the context of modern day America. 

​

Behind the Scenes:

"Capacity" was created in Atlanta during and for the Brave Futures Film Race Fall/Winter 2020, a concept created by non-profit and intersectional content platform Open Television. Brave Futures is a race to create a short film from conception to completion in under 48 hours. "Capacity" was created by Digital Reveries Media, featuring an especially assembled group of artists called Team Calendula. The director/lead creator Marlee Archer sought out each artist for this project, specifically with the mission of creating a team fully consisting of black women, thus Team Calendula was born. Team Calendula represented Atlanta in the film race, in addition to two other teams representing Oakland and Brooklyn.

​

Awards and Distribution:​

During the subsequent Brave Futures Film Festival held to highlight the work of all three teams, Team Calendula won the Most Brave Award and Black Archivist Award. This award included exclusive gear awarded to Digital Reveries Media, and commissioned work from Digital Reveries Media for a Juneteenth visual art installation with popular photographer Paul Octavious. 

Subsequently, “Capacity” was also selected to a number of film festivals in 2022, including the Out on Film Festival, Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival and the Film Collective Film Festival. Digital Reveries Media also earned a distribution deal with Open Television to host "Capacity" for public streaming.

​

​