"In Search of Liberty" faced a delay in production back in July when its crew based in Georgia walked off over wages and working condition issues. But the film has made it through and is on track to come out on DVD in 2017.
"In Search of Liberty" post-production is targeted to be completed before this year wraps up, with promotions to kick off in January, according to its website, as reported by Deadline. "Principal photography is complete and it is going to be an outstanding movie!" the site stated.
Six months ago, this Tea Party film had to stop production when 30 members of its crew in Savannah, Georgia, walked out. They were mostly film students and recent graduates who were dissatisfied with how they were treated on set and their wages. They were also treated as independent contractors, according to Slate.
The crew approached International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) to negotiate better setup for them, but the production company BluNile Films instead attempted to hire replacements, which failed and led to the work's halt and the film's relocation.
IATSE internal rep Scott Harbinson told Deadline, "They were very excited to work on a real movie. But when they took the job, they got an ugly taste of what the real world can look like. One of the older students let us know that they were abusing the kids - not just with the pay and conditions, but verbally abusing them. Many of these kids were making less than minimum wage and had to sign deal memos saying they that were independent contractors and declaring that they were not members of the union."
"In Search of Liberty" is written by Tom Solari. Starring Food Network host Bobby Deen, the film features the story of Ben Franklin as he tries to educate an American family about the U.S. Constitution. Produced and directed by Norm Novitsky, the movie aims to inform the American people, both old and young, about the importance of the Constitution to stay as a free society. The dramatic comedy film is a crowd-funded project.
