In 2021, Zack Weiner took on a campaign to represent District 6 in New York City’s City Council. Gale Brewer ended up winning the district, with Weiner coming in sixth place overall.
The New York Post released an article after an apparent video of Weiner engaged in BDSM activity with a dominatrix began to circulate on Twitter (now known as X). The news of the video spread like wildfire, ending up on television outlets such as “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,”
Meanwhile, the whole thing was being filmed. Introducing the political comedy of the decade, “Citizen Weiner.”
“I’ve been friends with Zack Weiner, Joe Gallagher, (writers and story by) and Daniel Robbins (director) for a long time, ever since we shot “Pledge” back in 2016. Zack and Joe just had this idea and said, “Hey, Zack should run for political office and we should film it,” says Aaron Dalla Villa, CEO of One Man Army Productions, one of the production companies behind “Citizen Weiner,” alongside Manhattan Movie Studio, and Abso Lutely Productions.
“Citizen Weiner” follows Zack Weiner’s campaign, from the early on-the-ground campaigning on the Upper West Side to the release of the viral video. As the campaign unfolds, though he is trying to make the world a better place for his fellow Upper West Side residents, Weiner sees firsthand the struggle to get attention for his underdog campaign, ultimately resorting to unconventional means to get noticed.
Throughout the film, Weiner commits to the idea that “anyone can run for office,” showing the system from the inside out.
“It’s really exciting, it’s been very cool so far,” says Dalla Villa. “We’re getting great feedback on the film. People are very excited to see it!’
“Citizen Weiner” made it’s festival premiere at the prestigious SlamDance Film Festival in Park City, Utah this past January and will world premiere at Village East by Angelika, located at 181-189 2nd Ave., at 8 p.m. on Oct. 22. Tickets to the premiere start at $33.85 and are available at eventbrite.com.
The film stars Zack Weiner, Joe Gallagher, Dan Bright, Aaron Dalla Villa, Sarah Coffey, James Watson, and Cherie Vogelstein. For those who can’t make the premiere, the film is available for preorder on iTunes.
For more information, visit citizenweiner.com. Click here to check out the trailer.
