ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Joseph Rullo, a former candidate for Governor in New Jersey has amassed a social media following of nearly half a million fans and this weekend will be talking about the politics of social media in a 25-minute film showing at the Atlantic City Cinefest this week. The movie debuted in Jersey City in August.
The controversial documentary film Vitriol starring Rullo exposes social media online anger and abuse, something Rullo is all too familiar with as he’s become a political influencer in New Jersey and the political establishment isn’t too happy about it.
Rullo has face online attacks from candidates, their campaign teams, and supporters of candidates he has spoken out against in the past.
Vitriol is a short documentary exploring vehement social media interactions from both sides of the political spectrum. The film was directed by Mark Clauburg and stars Rullo, Dr. Julie Ancis, Michael Caldarise, and Nina Kharoufeh.
“The impetus for Vitriol started with my initial shock of seeing close friends and families ripped apart for their political differences and wanting to find out more about how social media leads us down this rabbit hole of cruelty online,” said Clauburg. “The concept of toxic tribalism interested me the most. “Over the past few years, I’ve found folks on both sides of the political spectrum to be more concerned with belonging to a group than dealing with the actual issues. With my personal opinions mostly removed from the film, the hope is to present engaging arguments from multiple perspectives.”
The Venue is Residence Complex, Atlantic City campus. Stockton University 3701 Boardwalk in Atlantic City on October 22 at 8:40 pm. It’s film block #2. https://greymachinefilms.com/#/vitriol/