Influence (2020)
Influence (2020), directed by Diana Neille, starring Ron Leagas and John Hegarty.
score
The rise and fall of the world's most dangerous PR company
Synopsis
Charting the recent advancements in weaponized communication by investigating the rise and fall of the world’s most notorious public relations and reputation management firm: the British multinational Bell Pottinger.
- Diana NeilleDirector, Writer
- Richard PoplakDirector, Writer
- Bob MooreProducer
- Neil BrandtProducer
About the film
Influence is a 2020 Canadian, South African documentary film written and directed by Diana Neille and Richard Poplak. The film follows Lord Tim Bell and his associates, known for their controversial geopolitical spin-doctoring.
It had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020. It was also entered in the Moscow International Film Festival and the Amplify Film Festival in the UK. It is in English and Spanish with English subtitles. It runs for 90 minutes. The production companies are StoryScope and EyeSteelFilm.
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Influence is a 2020 Canadian, South African documentary film written and directed by Diana Neille and Richard Poplak. The film follows Lord Tim Bell and his associates, known for their controversial geopolitical spin-doctoring.
It had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020. It was also entered in the Moscow International Film Festival and the Amplify Film Festival in the UK. It is in English and Spanish with English subtitles. It runs for 90 minutes. The production companies are StoryScope and EyeSteelFilm.
Synopsis
This film focuses on the infamous Lord Tim Bell and his associates, known for their controversial geopolitical spin-doctoring. Bell, who started his career in advertising, had an affinity for difficult briefs and “people with problems,” as he liked to call them. He designed campaigns for unpopular politicians, dictators, disgraced companies, and celebrities the same way he put together product branding—by being concise and brutal. In 1987 he cofounded Bell Pottinger, which quickly became one of the most influential reputation-management companies in the world—until one of those campaigns incited racial division in South Africa and ruined BP’s reputation to a degree beyond spinning. Its cause of death was shrewdly described by The New York Times as “acute embarrassment.”
Critical reception
Influence has a 78% rating on online review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Reviewers have described Influence as a hugely detailed, unnerving expose. It is also considered hard to follow. Other critics generally liked the film.
References
External links
Official website
Influence at IMDb
Text from Influence (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence_(film)
Trivia
- It premiered on January 27, 2020, a Monday.
- It runs 1h30 — a typical feature length.
- This film's quiz has 10 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- CountriesCanada, South Africa
- LanguagesGerman, English, French
- StatusReleased
Cast
- Ron Leagas Self - Former Managing Director, Saatchi & Saatchi
- John Hegarty Self - Founding Shareholder, Saatchi & Saatchi
- Phumzile Van Damme Self - Opposition Politician
- David Wynne-Morgan Self - Public Relations Pioneer
- Sergio Bitar Self - Minister of Mining in Salvador Allende's Government
- Ralph Mathekga Self - Political Analyst, Clearcontent Research
-
F.W. de Klerk
Self - Former President of South Africa - Chester Crocker Self - Former Assistant Secretary of State for African's Affairs
-
Andile Mngxitama
Self - Founder of Black First Land First Party - Alex Goldfarb Self - Russian Political Activist
- Meirion Jones Self - Investigations Editor
- Joel Harding Self - Former Special Forces, Information Warfare Expert
- Haider Jraidan Self - Former Senior Creative Director, Bates Pan Gulff
-
Kirsten Fontenrose
Self - Strategy Consultant, Multi National Forces Iraq - Marianne Thamm Self - Assistant Editor, Daily Maverick
-
Jacob Zuma
Self - South African President, 2009–2018 -
Alexander Lukashenko
Self - President of Belarus (archive footage) -
Augusto Pinochet
Self - Head of Chile's Military Government (archive footage) -
Margaret Thatcher
Self (archive footage) -
Donald Trump
Self (archive footage)
Quiz about this movie
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Tags
Crew
- Diana Neille Director
- Richard Poplak Director
- Bob Moore Producer
- Neil Brandt Producer
- Diana Neille Writer
- Richard Poplak Writer
Questions about this film
What is Influence about?
Influence: Charting the recent advancements in weaponized communication by investigating the rise and fall of the world’s most notorious public relations and reputation management firm: the British multinational Bell Pottinger.
Who directed Influence?
Influence was directed by Diana Neille and Richard Poplak in 2020.
Who stars in Influence?
The cast of Influence includes Ron Leagas, John Hegarty, Phumzile Van Damme, David Wynne-Morgan and Sergio Bitar.
How long is Influence?
Influence runs for 90 minutes, or 1h30.
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Page updated on 09/14/2026.
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