Private Project

Celling Your Soul

In less than a decade, our technology has totally changed the way we interact with one another. But, have we stopped to ask, "how are these changes, changing us?" Celling Your Soul tells the story of how one college professor changed the conversation, asking her students not "what do you think?" but "how do you feel?" You might be shocked to learn the answer! Beyond awareness, Celling Your Soul offers a clear, compassionate understanding of digital dependency along with a sustainable solution to greater balance for living within the demands of a digital world. Schools, colleges and businesses are using this film to create curriculum, school policy on cell phone use and to elevate the conversation to include the paradox of the positive and negative effects of our digital world.

  • Joni Siani
    Director
  • Joni Siani
    Writer
  • Ben Abbene, Associate Producer
    Producer
  • Enver Perez, Editor
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    48 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 2, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Boston International Kids Film Festival
    Boston, MA
    November 8, 2015
    Best Documentary
  • New Hampshire Film Festival
    Portsmouth, New Hampshire
    October 15, 2015
  • New York City Independent Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    September 1, 2016
  • New Haven Doc Film Festival
    New Haven
    United States
  • Directors Chair Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    August 27, 2016
    Winner - Best Documentary
  • Oktober Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    October 9, 2016
  • Film-Com Festival
    Nashville
    United States
    November 12, 2016
Distribution Information
  • Bullfrog Films
Director Biography - Joni Siani

Joni Siani, Media and Communications scholar, has been working as a social scientist, dynamic lecturer and higher education instructor throughout the Boston, Massachusetts area for more than 15 years. Siani began her relationship with the media as an international radio and television personality throughout the 80s and 90s in Miami, Great Britain, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Boston. She has covered the world of pop culture as a journalist and entertainment reporter interviewing rock, film, and television stars, along with newsmakers and political icons for more than 30 years.

The exponential shift in technology and the relational effects of our personal development, our interpersonal communication and our global society has been the focus of her current research within the exciting and growing field of Media Psychology. Siani explains, “Every decade has had the luxury of a slower adaptation to the technological advances introduced to our society. However, for those growing up in the digital age, human interaction changes instantly. With each new technological trend, kids and young adults are expected to know how to behave, yet each new trend lacks any guidelines and protocol. We are now seeing some unintended consequences. It’s time to address the issues with an honest evaluation.”

Siani has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Newbury College and an M.Ed in Psychology from Cambridge College in Massachusetts. Siani was born and raised in a musical/theatrical family in Staten Island, New York. She is a single mother raising a teenage son just outside of Boston. Celling Your Soul: No App For Life is Siani’s first documentary.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As a professor on the front line, watching my students struggle with the swift changes in social interaction within the digital revolution, I could not turn a blind eye to what most of us viewed as a potential down side of digital connectivity. A decade later, we're now seeing a decline is social skills, empathy, while seeing an increase in stress, anxiety and depression. As great as our technology can be, it simply cannot be a substitute for the benefits of authentic, human interaction. It's time we have THAT conversation.