[FALSE] Does a video show a woman being removed from a flight for ‘discriminating’ against an unvaccinated passenger?

Screenshot of the tweet.

The Claim and Our Verdict

• The claim: A video was shared Nov. 14, 2021, on Twitter, along with a claim that a woman was removed from a flight for “discriminating” against an unvaccinated passenger.
• Fact-checking:
  • Actually, the video comes from a film named “COVID Flight,” directed by Jamie Hull-Greenwood. The British director shared a behind-the-scenes photograph of the film on his Instagram account, featuring what appears to be the actors and scene in the posted video.
  • Therefore, the video is a scripted and staged short film, not a genuine incident on a flight.
• Our ruling: We rate the claim as FALSE.

News Brief

A video was shared Dec. 14, 2021, on Twitter, along with a claim that a woman was removed from a flight for “discriminating” against an unvaccinated passenger.

As of the issuance of this report, the tweet had been retweeted 818 times, 72 times with comments, and had received 1,699 likes.

Fact-checking

A keyword search found a news article published Dec. 11, 2021, by France24, a French state-owned international television news network based in Paris. The article was titled “Hoax COVID-19 vaccination video goes completely viral on social media.” The video shared in the news article is the same as that presented in the claim. According to the France24 article, the clip actually shows a staged and scripted skit named “COVID Flight.” This indicates the scenes shown in the video are not of a real event. An introduction to the film published on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) reads, “this illustrates a standalone scenario within the COVID-19 pandemic where we are taught nothing more than to respect one another, regardless of individual belief.” The IMDb page of the film shows that it was directed by Jamie Hull-Greenwood, an award-winning film director from the U.K.
 

A screenshot comparison of the France 24 video (left) and the video presented in the claim (right).

 
A fact check published Nov. 13, 2021, by CNN, included a behind-the-scenes photograph of the film. The photograph was posted Oct. 27, 2021, on Instagram, by Hull-Greenwood. The caption reads: “Great cast; another great shoot for @jpcfilm; a pleasure to direct!” His account had been private before the publication of this report. A comparison between the backstage photo and the video presented in the claim shows the scenes and actors are identical.
 

The backstage posted on Instagram by Hull-Greenwood.

Therefore, the video is a scripted and staged short film, not a genuine incident on a flight.