Chris Walters

Since it premiered as a @vimeostaffpicks , @latajh ’s BUDGET PARADISE has over 125,000 views! That’s a lot of eyeballs. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s linked in our bio. You’ve also got a few more chances to watch the film in theatres, including: Emeryville International LGBTQ+ Film Festival @fishnetsandfilm Saturday February 28th at AMC Bay Street, 4pm Future of Film is Female Shorts Program @futureoffilmisfemale March 7th at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, 12pm

Premiering this weird little short at home with the people who helped bring it to life. Couldn’t wish for a better festival to share this experience with. THANK YOU to the crew, cast and supporters of this film. It was truly a community labor of love. Proud to be an Oakland filmmaker, making films with the same folks I came up with. S/O to Sean Gillane, Chris Walters, Caitlyn Durkin and Reina Lam for pulling off the impossible. I mean a short film shot on 35mm with no money, just vibes?… sheesh 🫶🏾 Taj “Budget Paradise” will premiere at this year’s @SFFILM Festival! Please join us on Saturday, April 26th @ 6:15 at Marina Theatre! Link in bio. Logline: Chester, a Black non-binary artist, searches for space to paint while seeking permission to exist within their hometown. Credits in the comments!

Capsaicinco is going to Sundance! We are thrilled that @latajh & @aurorabobora ’s film HOLD ME CLOSE (@holdmeclosefilm ) is debuting in the Shorts Program at the festival this year and we are proud to have acted as the production company in support of this intimate, revealing film. Logline: A chronicle of the power and complexity of the relationship between Corinne and Tiana, two Queer Black womxn who experience cycles of life’s joys and pains together in the home they share. See HOLD ME CLOSE in person at these screenings… 1/25 – 11:30am MST – Library Center (Park City) 1/26 – 1:50pm MST – Redstone Cinemas 3 (Park City) 1/28 – 3:00pm MST – Broadway Center Cinemas (Salt Lake City) 2/1 – 8:10pm MST – Redstone Cinemas 2 (Park City) Or, you can stream it at home as part of the Documentary Short Film Program. Additionally, director Ryland Walker Knight (@rylandwk ) will be attending as part of his Native Lab Fellowship and Capsaicinco EP Sean Gillane (@sgillane ) will be joining fellow Capsaicinco filmmakers in Park City. We are eager to see our friends and hope to make some new ones as well. If you see us on Main Street or at a screening, please do say, Hi! HOLD ME CLOSE credits— Directed & Produced by: Latajh Weaver and Aurora Brachman Director of Photography: @aurorabobora 1st AC: @aferrarese__ Edited by: @aurorabobora & @latajh Sound Design & Mix: @romanian_soundbath Color: Ben Neufeld Composer: @alihelnwein VFX: @sgillane Executive Producers CAPSAICINCO: @capsaicinco @sgillane @chriswaltersdotcom Chicken & Egg: @chickeneggpics @kiyokomccrae , @jenniwolfson POV: @povshorts gemjewel26 Erika Dilday Chris White Supported by: @futureoffilmisfemale @insideoutfestival @kodak_shootfilm @fotokem_la Special Thanks: @fayetsakas @stefanweinberger

We are thrilled to announce that our two finalist projects are recipients of the 2024 SFFILM Rainin Grant for screenwriting! LaTajh Weaver’s “No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds: A Queer-Inclusive Memoir” and Kevin D. Wong & Vanessa Gentry’s “Sweeping Graves” are currently in development with Capsaicinco. No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds: A Queer-Inclusive Memoir Screenwriting LaTajh Weaver, Director/Screenwriter; Sean Gillane, Producer; Chris Walters, Producer An escape room master builds an inescapable puzzle room for tourists, while trying to comprehend their own sense of belonging within Oakland’s surreal, radicalized Queer scene. Sweeping Graves Screenwriting Kevin D. Wong, Director/Screenwriter; Vanessa Gentry, Producer/Screenwriter Chinese American realtor Brandon buys a building in San Francisco Chinatown and evicts the tenants, eager to make the biggest sale of his career. But as he begins to renovate, the building’s hidden history returns to haunt him, and he’s drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the former tenants that will cost him more than he bargained for. Congrats to the whole cohort and huge thanks to @sffilm !!!

We are excited to announce that not 1 but 2 Capsaicinco supported projects are SFFILM 2024 Rainin Grant finalists! LaTajh Weaver’s “No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds: A Queer-Inclusive Memoir” and Kevin D. Wong & Vanessa Gentry’s “Sweeping Graves” are currently in development with Capsaicinco. Looking forward to sharing more about these projects (and others!) in the new year. No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds: A Queer-Inclusive Memoir — Screenwriting — @latajh LaTajh Weaver, Director/Screenwriter; Sean Gillane, Producer; Chris Walters, Producer @sgillane @chriswaltersdotcom An escape room master builds an inescapable puzzle room for tourists, while trying to comprehend their own sense of belonging within Oakland’s surreal, radicalized Queer scene. Sweeping Graves — Screenwriting — @dunkinwong @itsmeitsv Kevin D. Wong, Director/Screenwriter; Vanessa Gentry, Producer/Screenwriter A gentrification ghost story, “Sweeping Graves” is a modern-day folk tale that tells the story of Brandon, a San Francisco realtor who buys a property in Chinatown and evicts the tenants, intent on flipping it. But as Brandon begins to renovate the building, he starts to suspect that not all of the previous inhabitants have left—and that driving them out may cost him more than he ever bargained for.