Web Junkie

Web Junkie

Sundance film poster
Directed by Hilla Medalia
Shosh Shlam
Produced by Hilla Medalia
Shosh Shlam
Neta Zwebner-Zaibert
Written by Hilla Medalia
Shosh Shlam
Music by Ran Bagno
Cinematography Shaoguang Sun
Edited by Enat Sidi
Production
company
Chicken And Egg Pictures
Impact Partners
Shlam Productions
Distributed by Dogwoof Pictures
Release date
  • July 10, 2013 (2013-07-10) (Jerusalem Film Festival)
Running time
 79 minutes
Country Israel
United States
Language English

Web Junkie is a 2013 American-Israeli documentary film co-written, directed and produced by Hilla Medalia and Shosh Shlam.[1][2] The film premiered at the 2013 Jerusalem Film Festival on July 10, 2013.[3]

The film also premiered in-competition in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014.[4]

After its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Dogwoof Pictures acquired the worldwide distribution rights of the film. The film will be broadcast in the UK at BBC Storyville, who has acquired the British TV rights of the film.[5][6][7]

Synopsis

The film focuses on the Chinese government's classification of internet addiction as a clinical disorder and focuses on the treatment used in Chinese rehabilitation centres.

Reception

Web Junkie received mostly positive reviews upon its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 67% rating based on reviews from 6 critics, with an average score of 6.1/10.[8]

Dennis Harvey of Variety, said in his review that "A bizarre and entertaining documentary about China's attempts to reprogram its Internet-addicted youth."[9] Duane Byrge in his review for The Hollywood Reporter called the film "A startling look at China’s Internet addiction centers."[10] Drew Taylor from Indiewire praised the film by saying that "The specificity of the documentary...is one of its biggest strengths since it is able to place you right alongside these kids...But it also has the effect of being even more heartbreaking."[11] Dan Fienberg of HitFix gave the film grade B and said that "Web Junkie is a little sad, a little funny and a little scary. I'd say that I wish it had been a little more provocative, but I'm sure conversations after screenings will serve some of that purpose and those are conversations worth having."[12] In her review for The Telegraph, Amber Wilkinson praised the directors of the film that "Directors Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia get a remarkable amount of access to one of 400 rehabilitation camps set up in China."[13] However Dan Schindel of Movie Mezzanine criticized the film by saying that "What really undoes the film is its formlessness."[14]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2013 Jerusalem Film Festival Honorable Mention Hilla Medalia and Shosh Shlam Nominated[3]
2014 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary Hilla Medalia and Shosh Shlam Nominated

References

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