Saving Zoe Latest News, Photos, and Videos

Laura & Vanessa Marano Visit the United Nations!

Laura & Vanessa Marano Visit the United Nations!

Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano are making a difference in a big way!

The 23-year-old and 26-year-old actresses were invited to a political forum at the United Nations about online sexual exploitation, a very important topic addressed in their new movie, Saving Zoë.

Laura took to Instagram on Thursday (July 18) to share the moving experience with fans.

“I got the blurriest photos yesterday, but that’s okay because we went to the flipping UN!!!” she wrote. “If you told me twelve years ago when we optioned Saving Zoë, we would be at a political forum at the UN, I…um honestly, I don’t know what I would have done, but I probably wouldn’t have believed it. It was a pretty surreal experience listening to so many incredible speakers talk about an issue that we need to find more solutions for. The internet can be an amazing, beautiful place when harnessed positively, but unfortunately, there are people right now using it for their gain while hurting others. Thank you @equalitynoworg for continuing to educate people on the subject of online sexual exploitation and fighting for viable, survivor-informed solutions.”

Vanessa posted about the U.N. forum on her Instagram, as well.

Laura and Vanessa also stopped by The Z100 Morning Show to talk to Elvis Duran about Saving Zoë on Wednesday (July 17) in New York City.

See what Laura Marano’s Austin & Ally co-stars think about her new, dark movie, Saving Zoë, here!

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EXCLUSIVE: Laura & Vanessa Marano Say They're 'Attached at the Hip'

EXCLUSIVE: Laura & Vanessa Marano Say They're 'Attached at the Hip'

The Marano sisters are as close IRL as you imagine they are – actually, make that closer.

Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano are both successful actresses on their own.

Laura rose to fame as Ally Dawson in Disney’s hit Austin & Ally and Vanessa starred in Freeform’s long-running hit drama Switched at Birth.

Now, the sisters have teamed up on a new project that’s near and dear to their hearts, a dark thriller they produced themselves called Saving Zoë.

Based on the YA novel of the same name by Alyson Noël, Saving Zoë tells the story of a high school freshman named Echo (played by Laura) who investigates the circumstances surrounding her older sister Zoë’s (played by Vanessa) untimely death.

We hung out with Laura and Vanessa at the LA screening of Saving Zoë to talk about what it was like to work together and play a fictional pair of sisters in the movie.

“I think we’re lucky that we’re a pretty close family. Of course, when you’re spending a lot of time together with no sleep, you also want to punch each other in the face,” Laura admitted with a laugh. “But that’s just kind of what being a sister is and what’s sad to us, one of the heartbreaking things about Saving Zoë is that Echo and Zoe don’t have that relationship – or didn’t have that relationship. So, I don’t know, in a weird way, that kind of made us even closer.”

Vanessa agreed and added that working together has meant a lot of family time.

“Yeah, I don’t think we could imagine doing this without each other or without mom [Ellen Marano, who also produced the film],” she said. “Luckily, Laura and I do have a really close relationships, so we were really excited to work with each other and be partners in crime and then literally spend every weekend waking second together while marketing the movie. We are literally just like attached at the hip.”

Read Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano’s take on how 13 Reasons Why helped them get the green light to make Saving Zoë here!

EXCLUSIVE: Laura & Vanessa Marano Share Their Message for Survivors of Abuse

EXCLUSIVE: Laura & Vanessa Marano Share Their Message for Survivors of Abuse

Sisters Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano are working to educate the world about an important issue: Online sexual exploitation.

The issue is at the center of Laura and Vanessa’s dark new movie, Saving Zoë, which they also worked on as producers.

We caught up with Laura and Vanessa at the LA screening of Saving Zoë, where they gave us some exclusive insight into the work they’re doing to fight back against online sexual exploitation.

Laura and Vanessa have teamed up with a charity called Equality Now to get the word out and are planning a PSA on internet safety with the rest of the Saving Zoë cast.

“I think, unfortunately, a lot of times with online sexual exploitation, it happens with people you think you know,” Vanessa explained, when asked about her advice when it comes to avoiding becoming a victim of online sexual exploitation, which encompasses a range of predatory behavior on the internet, from soliciting photos to luring others to in-person encounters. “So, I would say really be cautious of sending images of yourself. Be cautious of your passwords.”

Vanessa adds that it’s also crucial for victims not to blame themselves – something that happens far too often when it comes to online sexual exploitation.

“And most importantly, out of everything, if it happens to you, tell someone,” she says. “I think there’s so much shame that is associated with online sexual exploitation and a lot of guilt that feels like, ‘Oh, it was my fault. I was stupid. I did this.’ Don’t listen to that voice inside your head. Tell someone because it’s what someone else did is wrong. You were actually the victim of someone else and you’re a survivor.”

Here’s how 13 Reasons Why was pivotal in getting Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano’s new movie, Saving Zoë made!

EXCLUSIVE: Laura & Vanessa Marano on How '13 Reasons Why' Helped Get Their New Movie Made

EXCLUSIVE: Laura & Vanessa Marano on How '13 Reasons Why' Helped Get Their New Movie Made

Dark, gritty YA is having a moment – just ask Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano.

The sisters are busy promoting their new film, Saving Zoë, which is a passion project they’ve been working to bring to the big screen for more than a decade.

Saving Zoë, based on the novel of the same name by Alyson Noël, tells the story of a high school freshman (played by Laura who searches for the truth about her older sister’s (played by Vanessa untimely death.

The story is dark and deals with important, harrowing real world issues like online sexual exploitation.

Laura, Vanessa, and their mother, Ellen Marano, optioned the book after reading it 12 years ago, but struggled for years to get the film made, in part because no one wanted to make a dark YA book into a movie or television show.

“By the time we finished [the script], something kind of crazy happened with timing – 13 Reasons Why came out,” Laura explained exclusively to JustJaredJr.com. “And, to be quite honest, all of a sudden, everyone was like, ‘We want dark YA! We want dark stories!’”

Vanessa says that fans of 13 Reasons Why are the same people who will appreciate Saving Zoë, but that, for years, the people with the power to make the project a reality just didn’t believe those viewers even existed.

Click inside for more of what Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano had to say about the importance of Saving Zoë. More Here! »

Laura & Vanessa Marano, Spencer Boldman, & More Attend an LA Screening of 'Saving Zoë'

Laura & Vanessa Marano, Spencer Boldman, & More Attend an LA Screening of 'Saving Zoë'

The stars turned out last night to support the Marano sisters!

Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano teamed up with The MOMS (Denise Albert and Melissa Gerstein) to host a Mamarazzi event in partnership with Sylvania for the sisters’ new movie, Saving Zoë, on Wednesday night (July 10) in Los Angeles, Calif.

Their real-life mom, Ellen, plus Constance Marie, Virginia Marsden, Spencer Boldman, Greer Grammer, and author Alyson Noël also stepped out for the screening.

Saving Zoë is a project that Laura and Vanessa have been working to bring to the world for more than a decade.

In the movie, a high school freshman (played by Laura), uncovers the truth about her sister’s (played by Vanessa) secret life a year after her untimely death. The film deals with very mature themes, including online sexual exploitation.

FYI Vanessa is wearing an Elizabeth Franchi dress and Stuart Weitzman shoes. She’s carrying a Tyler Ellis clutch and wearing jewelry by ANK Jewelry and Anne Sisteron. Laura is wearing a Tadashi Shoji dress and Stuart Weitzman shoes. She’s carrying a Swarovski Alelier clutch and wearing XIV KARATS jewelry.

20+ pictures inside of the stars at the Saving Zoë screening…

Read what Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano had to say about their awkward first kiss stories here!

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Vanessa & Laura Marano Confirm Theaters Where 'Saving Zoe' Will Be Screening in the United States

Vanessa & Laura Marano Confirm Theaters Where 'Saving Zoe' Will Be Screening in the United States

Vanessa and Laura Marano‘s new movie, Saving Zoe, is just a few months away from hitting theaters.

Which theaters though? The two actresses and producers just revealed a list of confirmed theaters which will have the movie playing, come July 12th.

Here’s the official movie summary: It’s been a year since her older sister’s murder, and Echo (Laura) is still far from being completely alright. Echo has been trying her hardest to be the strong one, while her mother takes too many antidepressants and her father works too much.

Now, at the start of her freshmen year of high school, Echo receives an unlikely gift from Zoe’s (Vanessa) old boyfriend: her diary. Echo is hesitant to read it but can’t put it down after she gets caught up in Zoe’s secret life.

Check out the confirmed theater locations below:

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The Trailer For 'Saving Zoe' Starring Laura & Vanessa Marano Is Here!

The Trailer For 'Saving Zoe' Starring Laura & Vanessa Marano Is Here!

The official trailer for Laura and Vanessa Marano‘s movie, Saving Zoe, is finally here!

Here’s the official movie summary: It’s been a year since her older sister’s murder, and Echo (Laura) is still far from being completely alright.

Echo has been trying her hardest to be the strong one, while her mother takes too many antidepressants and her father works too much.

Now, at the start of her freshmen year of high school, Echo receives an unlikely gift from Zoe’s (Vanessa) old boyfriend: her diary. Echo is hesitant to read it but can’t put it down after she gets caught up in Zoe’s secret life.

Saving Zoe will hit select theaters on July 12th.