Creative incubator The Lab at Anonymous Content has released Wake Up, a short film presented by HP and directed by Olivia Wilde (who joined Anonymous Content last summer for her first commercial and branded content representation).
Wake Up stars Margaret Qualley as a woman recovering from amnesia, forced to rediscover her humanity in an increasingly digital world.
HP described the short as “a provocative invitation to start a conversation about how the technology we depend on for our information, entertainment, and social connection has come disturbingly close to supplanting the very interactions that make us human.”
The film debuted last week at ChefDance, an event during the nearby Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
“It was such a thrill to collaborate with Margaret Qualley, legendary cinematographer Matty Libatique [nominated for Oscars as DP of Black Swan and A Star Is Born], and the rest of our extraordinary crew to tell this story about what it means to be human,” said Wilde, who made her feature directorial debut last year with the critically acclaimed Booksmart.
Credits
Client HP Production Anonymous Content Olivia Wilde, director; Matthew Libatique, DP; Akin McKenzie, production designer; David Webb, first AD; Eric Stern, managing director; Kerry Haynie, head of production; Laurie Boccaccio, line producer; Zac Ryder, Adam Groves, executive creative directors; Chase Hilton, Garrett Combes, lead creatives; Esther Peris, producer. Performers Margaret Qualley Editorial Work Editorial Neil Smith, editor; Marlo Baird, exec producer; Christie Price, producer. Color Color Collective Alex Bickell, colorist; Claudia Guevara, exec producer. VFX Moving Picture Company (MPC) Alvin Cruz, on-set supervision; Lexi Stern, exec producer; Sara Gbadamosi, producer; Benji Davidson, VFX supervisor/lead Flame artist; Sam Shiflett, Andy Roberts, Rob Ufer, Hector Cabrera, Peter Ulukpo, Sean Anderson, Ragesh Ramchandran, Manu Gopalakrishnan, compositors; Anthony Riccardi, Kris Fortin, designers/animators. Music Track “Otherside” by Perfume Genius. Music Supervision Walker Music Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott, exec producers; Danielle Soury, producer. Sound Design Jafbox Sound
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
