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THE STORY
When an overweight, insecure teen’s talent for fashion design is discovered by her fat and fabulous classmate, she must choose to put her designs on display for the world to see—or return to a life of sewing in the shadows.
THE STORY
When an overweight, insecure teen’s talent for fashion design is discovered by her fat and fabulous classmate, she must choose to put her designs on display for the world to see or return to a life of sewing in the shadows.
ABOUT THE FILM
EMPIRE WAIST is a heartwarming dramedy about teens learning to love their bodies through inclusive fashion design. Starring Rainn Wilson, Missi Pyle, Mia Kaplan, Jolene Purdy and Mima Yevu, Claire’s feature debut was produced in partnership with Wayfarer Studios, American High, and P&G, as well as Claire's Try Anyway Productions.
Ranked the #1 Comedy on The Black List and selected as a Finalist for the 2019 PAGE Awards, the screenplay has been acclaimed for its deft handling of teen body image, body diversity, and for being just plain funny.
ABOUT THE WRITER/DIRECTOR
Comedy writer Claire Ayoub wrote and directed her first play at age 14 and never really stopped. After coming up through the NYC comedy scene at the Upright Citizens Brigade and writing for Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, Claire wrote the movie she wished she had seen as a teen girl struggling with her own body image issues.
In 2019, Claire hosted 16 live readings across the country—including a nine-city script tour—and audience reviews are in: "The world needs EMPIRE WAIST!"