Filmmaker Statement

How to Cry on Command is an exploration of how young girls' psyches are being tortured by social media and our current Celebrity Culture’s expectations. We follow Mattie (a take on Roald Dahl's Matilda) in her struggle through dystopian grade school Celebrity Preparatory for Girls – where she takes classes such as "How to Cry on Command", "How to Brand Yourself", just to name a few, all leading up to a Final Exam. Although the world and school are fictional and “ridiculous”, I wanted to create a grounded environment that reflected how it viscerally felt for me growing up in Los Angeles and on social media as an impressionable, anxious, and awkward middle school girl. With influences ranging from cults like Scientology, Drama School, horror stories from former child actors and currently witnessing my 12 year old sister struggle with depression since she joined TikTok, I wanted to shine a light on the psychological effects Celebrity Culture is having on the development of young girls.