Ariela Barer
A young actor and filmmaker who channeled climate anxiety into the tense, DIY thriller 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline,' making her a voice for a generation.
Born 1998 (age 28)·American actress and screenwriter·Birthday: October 14·Generation Z
Biography
Ariela Barer grew up on screen, landing her first major role as Gertie Yorkes in the Marvel series 'Runaways' while still a teenager. But she quickly evolved from actor to activist-artist. Frustrated by conventional narratives around the climate crisis, she co-wrote, produced, and starred in the independent film 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline.' The project was a deliberate provocation, adapting a radical treatise into a gripping heist movie about a group of young people taking direct action. Barer, who also composed the film's score, helped craft a tense, character-driven story that forced audiences to confront the ethics of desperation. The film's success at Toronto and its subsequent release marked Barer as a formidable new creative force, one using genre filmmaking to explore urgent political questions. She represents a shift toward hands-on, multi-hyphenate artistry for socially engaged storytellers.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Ariela was born in 1998, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ariela Was Born
The biggest hits of 1998
#1 Movie
Saving Private Ryan
Best Picture
Shakespeare in Love
#1 TV Show
Seinfeld
Ariela's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1998Born
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2003Started school
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2011Became a teenager
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2014Could drive
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2016Could vote
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2019Turned 21
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 28 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote, produced, starred in, and composed the score for the 2023 critically acclaimed thriller 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline.'
- Played the series regular role of Gertrude 'Gert' Yorkes on the Hulu/Freeform series 'Marvel's Runaways' for three seasons.
- Her film 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline' premiered in the Platform competition at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
- Advocated for and helped realize a film project that brought radical climate discourse to a mainstream cinematic audience.
Did You Know?
She is of Mexican and Jewish descent.
She taught herself how to compose music specifically for 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline.'
She was only 23 years old when she began co-writing the screenplay for 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline.'
She has been open about her diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder.
“We need stories that don't ask for hope but demand action.”
