An introverted poetry student experiments with her image as she works on her final class project, a self-portrait poem. Melanie Notinger directs “Dress Code,” a character study about gender identity and self expression carried by a rich, lived-in specificity. Dani struggles to define herself — at school, she shies away from femininity in clothing and demeanor, while when watching a friend perform drag at a local club, she dresses in pink and allows herself sparks of flamboyance. Perhaps she can be understand most fully in the relationship with her girlfriend where she resists strict boundaries of the femme / butch divide, and it’s in these complexities that Dani composes her final poetry project responding to the prompt, “how do you identify?” Notinger’s film is a deep exploration of the insecurities and vulnerabilities of falling outside cultural norms and expectations. -KA. [Watch on NoBudge 2 | Watch on YouTube]. (10 minutes). Writer, Director, EP: Melanie Notinger. Cast: Sarah Danko, Lauren Lane (C.C. Babcock "The Nanny"), Tyler George, Melanie Notinger. Associate Producer: Diane Meo. Director of Photography: Layton Blaylock. Editor: Tyler Byrnes. Original Music: Benjamin Violet. Production Design: Sarah Mullinnix. Costume Design: Madalyn Christine Bond.