Alyssa Bistonath mines her Guyanese heritage to investigate memory, time and intimacy. Her short film, Dirt.Brown.Chocolate. continues this trajectory by questioning the need for assimilation and belonging in the face of persistent racial discrimination. Bistonath’s use of intermittent autobiographical narratives coupled with archival familial images affirms the generational impact of colonial thinking while uncovering the complexities surrounding the assumption that nostalgia is a source of comfort. With references to tea and chocolate, European luxuries fueling the demand for sugar along colonial trade routes, Bistonath’s Dirt.Brown.Chocolate. offers viewers a critical exploration of what it means to “fit” into an unwelcoming dominant culture.