IT’S a TEEN’S WORLD: wired for sex, lies and power trips

PREMIERES OCT. 5 ON CBC NEWSWORLD’S THE PASSIONATE EYE

TORONTO: It’s a Teen’s World is an unprecedented and unflinching expose of the social lives of 3 diverse groups of teens in Toronto trying to navigate a tangled web of sex, lies and power trips. Kids today are active players in a sexually-charged popular culture, fuelled by the mass media and personal technology. But at what cost? The film reveals a generation pushed to flaunt its sexuality without grasping the consequences.

The Passionate Eye presents the premiere of the one-hour TV version of It’s a Teen’s World on Monday October 5 at 10:00 p.m. ET, repeating [date TBA] on CBC Newsworld. The documentary film is accompanied by a three-part radio series to be broadcast on consecutive Wednesdays starting September 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET on CBC Radio One’s Ideas, Canada’s national program of contemporary thought.

Award-winning filmmaker Lynn Glazier takes us on an insider’s journey into a culture of sexual bullying that is rampant among today’s teens. Whether it’s posting provocative photos and raunchy video on the net, ass-grabbing in the school hallway or spreading explicit gossip that shatters school careers, some 80 per cent of Canadian youth report involvement with sexual harassment by their high school graduation. Through computer screens, inside all-age clubs, candid personal diaries and in their own short dramatic films about sexual pressures, It’s a Teen’s World challenges three groups of Toronto kids (ages 13-17) to think more critically about their hyper-sexual social world and the way they behave within it. For some, it’s been a life-changing experience.

Glazier’s career as a documentary director, producer and writer spans more than 25 years. It’s a Teen’s World is the thematic sequel to her acclaimed and influential documentary film It’s a Girl’s World about female social bullying. She also produced the Gemini Award-nominated Boxing: In and Out of the Ring, which investigated the corrupt world of professional boxing, for A&E and TVO. Glazier’s documentaries on global issues for CBC Radio were heard for many years on Sunday Morning and earned her a myriad of national and international awards.

It’s a Teen’s World is also launching an extensive educational website and DVD release (the feature length film and interactive classroom modules based on the complete teen dramas) for teenagers, their parents and educators concerned about sexual harassment.

The film is directed, written and produced by Lynn Glazier and produced by Ed Barreveld (Tiger Spirit, Hitler’s Canadians, Shipbreakers, Aftermath: Remnants of War) for Teensworld Productions Inc. and Storyline Entertainment Inc. Catherine Olsen is Executive Producer of documentaries for CBC Newsworld.

It’s A Teen’s World was produced by Teensworld Productions Inc. with Storyline Entertainment in association with CBC Newsworld, Knowledge Network, Canal Vie owned by Astral Media, the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government and the Canadian Cable Industry, Rogers Cable Network Fund, Rogers Documentary Fund and with the assistance of the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, and The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.