"Hello," we lied
Ordained "The King of Fake News" by NPR, Jestin Coler built a network of websites meant to "infiltrate the echo chambers" of the alt-right. His empire soon grew to embody the media monolith it satirized, garnering over 100 million views and potentially swaying the election (which was swung by a mere 0.06% of the voting population).
As the 2020 elections approach and Coler's techniques are adopted by armies of fake news purveyors, virality and reality intertwine in front of our eyes, leaving truth in the eye of the beholder. In the famously flubbed words of former president George W. Bush, "There's an old saying in Tennessee...Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me, can't get fooled again." Or can we?
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Laura GamseDirectorThe Creators
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Jestin ColerKey Cast"Himself"
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Dr. Cornel WestKey Cast"Himself "
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President Donald TrumpKey Cast"Fake Donald Trump"
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Project Type:Documentary, Short, Student
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Runtime:12 minutes 7 seconds
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Completion Date:July 8, 2020
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:4K
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Aspect Ratio:1.9:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes
Director Laura Gamse was born in Arlington, Virginia. Her work has been featured on NPR, the National Geographic Channel and Netflix, and covered in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her first feature documentary, The Creators: South Africa Through the Eyes of Her Artists, was named Best Documentary at the National Geographic Society’s All Roads Film Festival. She lives in South Africa with her partner and their two cats.