Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
‘The Gilded Age’ Star Ben Ahlers and Wesley Taylor Wrap Workplace Satire Short ‘Movin’ On Up’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Actors Ben Ahlers, known for "The Gilded Age", and Wesley Taylor have completed filming on "Movin' On Up", a workplace satire short film marking the directorial debut of Jacob Wahba. The project matters as a notable indie short bringing together stage and screen talent to skewer corporate culture through a distinctive visual style, and it offers Wahba, previously known for editorial and theatrical work, his first outing as a film director.
Taylor plays a directionless office worker unexpectedly propelled up the corporate ladder into a surreal "MGM Musical Meets Silicon Valley" workplace where staff dance through the halls and the firm's purpose remains unclear. The cast also includes Ainsley Seiger, David Mattar Merten and Denise Lute, with the film's look drawing on 1950s MGM musicals such as "Singin' in the Rain" and the work of Vincente Minnelli and Busby Berkeley. Writer Patrick Daly said the story captures a "uniquely 2020s feeling" of anxious ambition, while the production also involves producers Max Johnson and Chloé Ryan, editor Pierre Marais and choreographer Matthew Steffens, among a wider creative team.
In short
- Ben Ahlers and Wesley Taylor finish shooting satire short "Movin' On Up".
- Jacob Wahba's directorial debut blends MGM musical style with office satire.
- Cast includes Ainsley Seiger, David Mattar Merten and Denise Lute.
Explained simply
"Movin' On Up" is a workplace satire short film drawing on the visual style of lavish 1950s cinema, such as "Singin' in the Rain", to comment on modern corporate culture. The story follows an office worker who unexpectedly rises through the company ranks, finding himself in a surreal workplace where employees dance through the halls and the organisation's purpose remains obscure.
The film marks the directorial debut of Jacob Wahba, previously known for editorial and theatrical work. It stars stage and screen actors including Wesley Taylor and Ben Ahlers, known for the television series "The Gilded Age", with writer Patrick Daly and choreographer Matthew Steffens among the creative team.
The production brings together theatrical and screen talent to create what its creative team describes as capturing a contemporary mood of anxious ambition in the workplace. The visual approach merges the elaborate musical sequences of classic 1950s cinema with commentary on Silicon Valley corporate culture.
Celebrity Entertainment Film Music