In “Your Attention Please,” director Sara Robin takes on one of the most urgent yet elusive crises of our time: the erosion of human attention in a digital world engineered to capture it. What began as a personal exploration of screen habits evolved into a sweeping, solutions-oriented documentary that examines not just individual behavior, but the systems shaping it. The film made its world premiere earlier this year at South by Southwest, signaling the growing cultural urgency of its subject.
Speaking with Cinema Femme, Robin reflects on how the project transformed as she dug deeper into the topic.
“Initially, the project was motivated by my own experiences,” Robin explains. “I was trying to regain my focus… but phones are addictive in many ways beyond social media.” What began as a personal struggle—“I couldn’t read a book anymore without checking my phone every 30 seconds”—soon revealed itself to be something much larger.
Robin originally envisioned a more contained, experiment-driven film. “I thought, let’s follow a few people for 30 days as they try to reduce phone use,” she says. But that approach shifted dramatically after meeting Kristin Bride, a mother who turned personal tragedy into advocacy after losing her son to cyberbullying. “I knew right away I had to follow that thread,” Robin recalls. “It didn’t fit my initial concept—but it opened the door to something bigger.”
That “something bigger” became a focus on systemic change—examining legislation, platform design, and the broader architecture of the attention economy. Voices like Trisha Prabhu, a young programmer working to combat online harassment, further expanded the film’s scope. “That shift really defined the film’s final structure,” Robin says.
But telling that story came with unique challenges. “The impact of technology is largely invisible,” she explains. “It’s gradual, it’s hard to see—and that makes it difficult to translate into a visual medium.” Even powerful transformations, like dramatically reducing screen time, don’t naturally lend themselves to cinematic storytelling.
To bridge that gap, Robin turned to animation. Collaborating with Cola Animation Collective, the film uses hand-drawn visuals to depict abstract concepts like algorithms and digital immersion. “We needed a way to make the invisible visible,” she says. “Animation allowed us to do that while also handling difficult emotional material with care.”
The result is a visual language that contrasts confinement and openness—algorithmic “spaces” versus expansive natural environments. “It helped us create something experiential,” Robin adds, “while still inviting audiences in gently.”
At its core, “Your Attention Please” grapples with a pressing question: can we reclaim autonomy in a digital landscape designed to undermine it?
Robin points to structural changes as a starting point. “Not long ago, platforms like Instagram had chronological feeds,” she notes. “Now they’re driven by engagement-optimized algorithms designed to maximize screen time.” These systems learn what holds attention—and amplify it, often without regard for well-being.
“If we want to reclaim autonomy,” she argues, “we need to rethink these systems. Users should have more control—whether that’s choosing a chronological feed or resetting algorithms in a meaningful way.” For young users especially, she adds, safeguards are critical: “Harmful content loops shouldn’t happen in the first place—but if they do, there should be an easy way out.”
Despite the gravity of the subject, Robin resists framing the story as purely dystopian. In fact, she’s more optimistic now than when she began.
“I actually feel more hopeful—even about politics,” she says, pointing to growing bipartisan attention around tech regulation and increasing momentum at local levels. Schools are going phone-free, states are introducing policies, and communities are experimenting with new norms.
Perhaps most encouraging, she says, is the response from younger generations. “There was this fear that people who grew up with social media wouldn’t know anything different—but that’s not what we’re seeing.” Initiatives like The Offline Club demonstrate a desire to reconnect offline. “Young people are actively pushing back,” Robin says. “They want something better.”
That desire, she believes, speaks to something fundamental. “The need for connection, presence, authenticity—that’s deeply human. And it hasn’t been lost.”
For audiences, Robin hopes the film serves both as a wake-up call and an invitation. “First, I hope people feel empowered to make changes—big or small,” she says. “Even putting your phone down during a conversation matters. Those small moments shape culture.”
Equally important is the broader takeaway: “This isn’t inevitable. Technology doesn’t have to be addictive. There’s enormous potential to redesign it in ways that support human well-being.”
As the film continues its festival run—including an upcoming screening at the Independent Film Festival Boston on April 25—Robin and her team are already thinking about impact beyond the screen. Plans include educational outreach, partnerships with organizations, and screenings for policymakers in the U.S. and abroad.
“We’re looking at a multi-tiered impact campaign,” she says. “From grassroots efforts in schools to conversations at the policy level.”
Ultimately, “Your Attention Please” is less about prescribing solutions than sparking imagination. “I hope the film helps people envision a different relationship with technology,” Robin reflects. “Because once we can imagine it, we can start to build it.”
For more information about the film and how you can support, please visit www.yourattentionplz.com.
