DRIB

DRIB is the inside story of how a comedian scammed his way to viral fame, fooled an advertising agency, and almost became the international face of a well-known energy drink — before everything went wrong. DRIB is a cinematic re-enactment of the entire story, a no-holds-barred satire of L.A. advertising culture told by Amir Asgharnejad, the person who lived it all. To avoid a lawsuit from the brand in question they invented their own: DRIB.

SXSW OFFICIAL SELECTION 2017
STARRING BRETT GELMAN

Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli uses his close friend Amir's bizarre story - how he almost became the international face of a well-known energy drink - as the basis for this fiction/documentary hybrid.

Amir is an idiosyncratic comedian and prankster who created a momentary news sensation in 2014 by provoking random people to fight on the streets of Oslo. Videos of him seemingly getting brutally beaten up was viewed by millions, and ended up inspiring a major shock-value marketing scheme for a well-known energy drink. A major advertising agency invited him to Los Angeles to be the face of their new campaign, but nothing turned out as expected.

DRIB simultaneously exposes and revels in media manipulation as it recounts the remarkable and painfully comic advertising process that took place in 2014, with Amir appearing in the role of himself. The film tracks how art becomes commerce, how something fake can have real effects, and reveals inside information about an industry and the company that almost stopped the film from ever being made.

Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Producers: Magne Lyngner & Riina Zachariassen
DOP: Håvard Byrkjeland
Editor: Patrick Larsgaard
Composer: Felicita
Colourist: Julien Alary
Cast: Amir Asgharnejad, Brett Gelman, Adam Pearson, Annie Hamilton