Influential is a darkly humorous exploration of social media's unchecked influence.

Part One draws us into the whirlwind life of our anti-heroine: an up-and-coming ‘Influencer’ who teeters on the brink of viral fame. Driven by an insatiable hunger for validation, she chases the coveted 100k follower milestone, unfazed by a stack of unpaid bills and a humiliating shopping expedition at a high-end boutique.

Cut to Part Two, where we slip into the shoes of ‘Influenced’, a devoted disciple of our Influencer. Here, we explore the vortex of social media addiction, as Influenced trades the world around her for the filtered glamour on her screen. So much so, she finds herself lured into the very boutique that was featured in her idol’s most recent post…

Our journey culminates in Part Three, where the digital fairytale brutally collides with reality. In an ironic turn of events, Influenced stumbles upon Influencer in the real world, revealing the bleak truth behind her perfectly curated online presence. It’s a sobering revelation, culminating in a chilling twist that’ll leave you questioning the true cost of influence.

The short directed by Shihan Fé Blanca Fahim, was a labor of love with a micro budget, the crew crowdfunded and reached out to friends and within two months found themselves with a shoot date and an incredible team of all female-identifying HOD's and most of the crew. They shot the entire thing in two days with two locations, aided by friends who came to support and be extras and even lent them a clothing store in what ended up being a very efficient shoot and most importantly a great collaboration.

Shihan Fé Blanca Fahim further says: 'We have all gone through some sort of transformation and influence from social media and content consumption all day long. Especially as it relates to comparison, it's nearly impossible not to compare yourself to that one person doing that thing you've always dreamt of and beating yourself up for not being as good or as successful or beautiful, etc. We wanted to tell a story that pulls back the curtain slightly and shows both ends of that spectrum, the person projecting this polished image online and the other consuming it. And how, ultimately, it doesn't really make either of them happy.I think the outlandishness of the characters and the circumstances serves as a means to create a critical distance between the viewer and the characters so that they could laugh, form opinions, maybe even judgments, but in the end be forced to see themselves reflected in these flawed people. Everyone is a bit of a victim and a bit of the problem and also just doing their best to navigate a digital society ya know?'