Donté Larry was born in Washington state to a black father and white mother and was raised in rural Tennessee. He spent his undergraduate years at the University of Washington, where he majored in Sociology with a focus in gender and race theory, and their intersection with crime and policing. His mixed-race heritage and formal education have given him a unique lens through which to experience such vastly different communities and has inspired him to create films that will speak to people who may not see themselves in their surroundings.