"More Than a Toy: The Anatomy of a Trend..."
It may look like a Labubu unboxing, but it is actually an unpacking of socioeconomic trends...
Social & External
Unknown Role
A documentary based on the set of K-Fee commercials and how one of them lead to the infamous ghost car video
Over the past 25 years, Lauren Greenfield's documentary photography and film projects have explored youth culture, gender, body image, and affluence. Underscoring the ever-increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots, portraits reveal a focus on cultivating image over substance, where subjects unable to attain actual wealth instead settle for its trappings, no matter their ability to pay for it.
Discover the untold story of the first Black Barbie and the pivotal role three trailblazing women at Mattel had in creating a doll who looked like them.
While gift shopping at an "enlightened" toy store, a mother and son are out of luck finding the latest Spider-Man and Transformers toys-because all this eccentric shopkeeper proudly sells are Rick Mercer-themed toys that are meant to inspire the next generation of Canadian youth.
We are witnessing a generational transformation of audiovisual entertainment. Independent work by internet creators, who have already managed to take first places in the celebrity rankings, is competing with television production. Parents panic when their children spend the whole day frozen in front of laptop and smartphone screens. The most watched is a communication bridge between two generations. What does it actually mean to be a YouTuber? And why have YouTubers become a phenomenon that already has an undeniable influence on society today? The feature-length documentary reveals the secrets of their success and looks into the everyday lives that they keep away from the cameras. It hears the opinions of everyone who is affected by watching and creating YouTube videos. Parents of children, marketing specialists, sociologists, psychologists and the viewers themselves.
We are engulfed in a digital tsunami—a toxic mix of artificial intelligence, state and corporate surveillance, and social media addiction controlled by powerful algorithms. Digital Tsunami shows how these are all elements of a digital ecosystem that is changing us as humans—just as the prophetic media guru Marshall McLuhan predicted 60 years ago. The unexpected consequences of this digital revolution have created an urgent need for strategies for survival.
In the spring of 1984, a strange new comic book sat beside cash registers in select shops, too big to fit in the racks, and too weird to ignore. Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles presented a completely original breed of super hero. It was too bizarre, too crazy. It broke all the rules and should never have worked. Until it sold out. Again and again and again. For 30 years. Now, peek under the shell and see how this so-called "happy accident" defied every naysayer to become one of the most popular and beloved franchises in the world.
This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.
In the age of YouTube, exhibitionism and voyeurism echo and reach a climax. The boundaries between private and public life are blurring. The intimacy becomes a spectacle. Gabrielle Marion knows this better than anyone. As a famous Quebec Youtuber, she has been documenting her life and her sexual transition for eight years.
On July 25th, 2020, Ridley Scott and Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald invite you to be part of Life in a Day—a historic, global documentary capturing a single day on Earth. Videos from around the world are woven into a feature film.
A group of teddybears awaken in the attic after years of storage. Store-Nalle (Big Teddy) explains the history of the species, from the very first teddybears manufactured in Germany. Other segments include dramatizations of the directors' childhood memories, as well as interviews with several stuffed animal owners.
A documentary about MOD SUN.
The Beanie Bubble follows the unbelievable tale of America’s most fascinating phenomenon – Beanie Babies. Flashing back to the 90’s and early 2000’s, we take an in-depth look at how the era-defining zeitgeist came to be, the mysterious man behind the mania, and the lives that were forever changed in its wake. This is not simply a retelling, but rather an exploration of the American Dream and what makes all people susceptible to buying into a fantasy.
Seán McLoughlin was a lonely kid in rural Ireland. Now, he’s Jacksepticeye, one of the world’s biggest YouTube stars. When he embarks on his first world tour, Seán contemplates his journey, his upbringing, and the nature of modern online celebrity and fandom as he meets the people across the world who changed his life and whose lives he’s changed with his videos and the community they’ve built.
An intimate look at a controversial young video blogger, regarded by millions as the Internet's first rebel folk hero.
Doll hospitals, cabbage ‘births,’ a four-year legal battle over the origin of the idea and a billion-dollar toy brand that put the wheels of modern-day Black Friday shopping riots into motion. This is the unbelievable true story you never knew about the toy craze that started it all, the Cabbage Patch Kids.
Ghyslain Raza, better known as the “Star Wars Kid,” breaks his silence to reflect on our hunger for content and the right to be forgotten in the digital age.
A joyful and surprising journey into the fascinating world of toddler pop, exploring why kids' music is so catchy, can be deeply meaningful, and how AI is taking hold and shaping the industry. Featuring appearances by The Wiggles, Laurie Berkner, and other musicians.
Thanks to social media, teens are able to directly interact with their culture - celebrities, movies, brands - in ways never before possible. But is that real empowerment? Or do marketers hold the upper hand? Douglas Rushkoff explores how the teen quest for identity has migrated to the web – and exposes the game of cat-and-mouse that corporations are playing with them.