Breaking Glass Pictures is set to release the comedy thriller The Influencer, a satirical tale that examines the life of a vain social media influencer from first-time director Meghan Weinstein (producer of IFC Midnight’s The Djinn).
“The Influencer is way more relevant now than when I wrote it three years ago, it reflects real life in ways I didn’t expect”, said Weinstein. “Watching how internet virality has led to such a dramatic spike in consumerism and waste with fast-fashion, or an obsession with how we appear online, it warps reality and values for so many people in an effort to distract us from the bigger issues going on in the world.”
The film stars real life influencer and comedian Kasia Szarek (A24’s Pleasure), with supporting cast led by Shantell Yasmine Abeydeera, star of the viral online series Girls Like Magic and CEO of OML.tv. The Influencer diverts from glamorizing the lifestyle, and instead takes a critical view on consumerism and questions; what if someone could use their online influence to do something bigger than just sell products?
Abbie Rose is a popular social-media influencer known for her lifestyle, fashion and makeup videos. One night she signs a coveted contract with Nutrocon, a notorious cosmetic company known to pollute, test on animals and treat female workers unfairly…
Immediately, she’s taken down and tied up in her home by a group of masked activists. Overnight, they force Abbie through the filming of a video, advertising a mysterious new makeup kit. As the hacker’s plan unfolds, we learn the real reason for their visit and as Abbie’s facade fades we learn more about the lies she’s been living.
“I think there are a lot of young people who want to change things but don’t know how and that kind of helplessness can lead to a lot of anger, but this movie is a fun exploration of what can happen when that leads to action and they start figuring out ways to turn the system on itself”, said Weinstein.
“Timely and topical, The Influencer is an amazing directorial debut from Meghan Weinstein”, said Rich Wolff, CEO of Breaking Glass Pictures. “We are proud to have it as part of our catalogue.”
The Influencer got released September 14 on iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, FandangoNOW, through local cable & satellite providers, and on DVD.
.
Kasia Szarek // Abbie Rose
|
|
Kasia Szarek (@kasia) is a real-life Instagram influencer who naturally gained an online following with her comedic personality and glamorous pin-up style. She promotes loving yourself and having fun no matter your size, and often gets messages from followers on how her posts inspire them to embrace their curves. She can be seen in the upcoming A24 film Pleasure.
|
|
Shantell Yasmine Abeydeera // Three
|
|
Australian-Sri Lanken actor Shantell Abeydeera is also a writer and LGBTQ content-creator, best known for her viral Youtube series Girls Like Magic. She is CEO of queer-content network OML Media and her new online-series Dating in Place premiered in 2020 on their channel Revry. She is currently in pre-production for her next feature film collaboration with The Influencer director Meghan Weinstein.
|
|
Meghan Weinstein // Director/Writer
|
|
Meghan is a feisty writer, director, producer and multi-media artist based in Los Angeles. She is able to extract root emotions and toy with iconic sensibilities to portray the breaking of the status quo and uplift viewers. She is absolutely one to keep tabs on as her works are quickly gaining attention.” – 1126LA
Meghan Weinstein is an L.A. based Canadian filmmaker, who grew up in
Vancouver B.C. and San Francisco. Her films capture the absurd and often
hilarious complexities of human connection, while featuring carefully casted
ensembles and eye-catching imagery. She loves collaborating with actors to
create quirky, out-of-the-box characters.
Her coming-of-age comedy, Trippin’ with the Folks, won several awards in 2017 including Best Short Film and Best Supporting Actress. She’s directed two award-winning web series; the off-the-wall sketch comedy, My Delivery Guy and Terms and Conditions, which earned her a Best Director nomination in 2019.
A master of indie-production, Meghan has produced many award-winning short projects and 3 independent feature films, including rock musical thriller Dead Envy, distributed by The Orchard/Random Media. She produced The Djinn, a psychological monster thriller that released in May 2021, distributed by IFC Films, and is now streaming on VOD and IFC Midnight.
She is currently in pre-production to direct her next feature film, a female-led psychological thriller starring Shantell Abeydeera.
|
|
.
.
