Facebooks Instagram, as part of its anti-bullying initiatives, funded a new series directed by Jonah Hill featuring teens and young adults talking about their experiences with bullying.
The four-episode “Un-filtered” goes live Wednesday (Sept. 18) on Instagrams IGTV channel on its mobile app. In the unscripted series, Hill interviews people aged 13-25 who share their stories of being the targets — or perpetrators — of bullying, both online and in real life.
Hills acting credits include “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Moneyball” (for which he received Oscar nominations) and comedies like “21 Jump Street” and “Superbad.” He also directed 2018 feature-length dramedy “Mid90s.” Hill has spoken out about bullying and toxic masculinity, and identifies as both having been bullied as well as having been the bully.
“It was an incredible experience to direct this project,” Hill said in a statement. “I tried to create an environment for young people to be heard and listened to. I wish there was a platform to hear others struggles and experiences when I was growing up. I hope that this will be inspiring for young people to share their stories and feelings and not feel so alone.”
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“Un-filtered” is a reference to the famous photo filters that let Instagrammers alter the look of images they post on the service. The series is designed to bolster Instagrams investments in reducing harassment on the service, which includes using artificial intelligence to detect and remove bullying content. Instagram recently launched a test of two new features: a “comment warning” thats supposed to alert a user if theyre typing something that appears to be out-of-bounds and prompt them to revise it; and a “restrict” option to let users review comments from specific individuals before theyre made public.
Hill has 1.6 million Instagram followers. That isnt gigantic by Instagram standards but the service is clearly hoping the Hollywood actor-director will help amplify its anti-bullying message. “Un-scripted” also is meant to showcase IGTV, Instagrams longer-form video feature launched a year ago.
“Were really proud of Un-filtered, our newest IGTV series, directed by Jonah Hill, that features real teens sharing the experiences and challenges they face every day,” said Janine Gianfredi, InstagramOriginal Article
