Set in a future that is just about to happen, the mother of all live streams and updates unfold in Channeling directed by first time director/writer Drew Thomas starring Taylor Handley known for his roles in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and Battle Los Angeles, with interesting supporting cast that includes Kate French, Skyler Day, Dominic DeVore, Ryan Walker and Landon Ashworth, Channeling follows the lives of a young group of people broadcasting their daily lives to the most number of audience possible and competing to reach viral hits no matter what the cost.
The film starts with a car chase in which Wyatt Maddox (Taylor Handley) is driving accompanied with Tara (Kate French). We then later learn that this car chase ends fatally for Wyatt. The story then continues with Wyatt's soldier brother Jonah (Dominic Devore) returning home for the funeral. On discovering his brother's online existence under the channel name Wyld_Life, Jonah decides to pose as Wyatt and reawaken his channel in order to lure his killers.
Meanwhile, other online players and selfie broadcasters such as high school student Ashleigh Maddox (Skyler Day) the little sister of Wyatt and Jonah is at an impressionable stage where having recognition and admiration from your peers seems like the most important thing to give you a sense of belonging.
Director Thomas shares that even though his movie tackles the extreme side of social media, "I didn't feel that that social media was to blame but that together with people it can be evil and pervasive. But then I think that's how some people view social media, I find it particularly annoying when 'friends' of mine post every minute detail of their life – I definitely don't think I'll be tuning into livecasting channels in the near future, well, not unless they are doing something exciting."
Timely as today’s social landscape, Channeling had been awarded Best Feature Film (Sci_Fi) at The London International Festival of Science Fiction & Fantastic Film, Best Feature Film at the Phoenix Film Festival and is the Official Selection at the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival and Dances With Films.
Channeling opens very soon this July 2 from Crsytalsky Multimedia in theatres nationwide.
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