Reprinted from Deadline Hollywood by David Robb on January 22, 2021.
More than 30 unpaid crewmembers on the indie film Please Give Me You have filed wage claims with the California Labor Commissioner’s office after the production was shut down last month when its financing fell through following a Covid-19 scare on the set. The film, written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour and which was to have starred Chloë Grace Moretz, had been prepping at the Rancho Grande preserve in Ojai, CA, when the plug was pulled December 11 before principal photography could begin.
A demand letter sent by the crew to the producers December 23 said that they’re owed more than $170,000 for the five weeks they spent prepping the film.
“There are 31 wage claims filed against PGMY The Movie LLC,” a spokesperson for the Labor Commissioner’s Office said. “The earliest was docketed on January 4 and the latest on January 21, 2021.” …
“The production shut down and no one on the crew has been paid for any of their work,” a member of the crew told Deadline. “The producers dodged phone calls and emails about paying vendors, crew, etc., for almost a month. Many crew members are also owed out-of-pocket expenses for things like props, wardrobe, equipment rentals and Covid tests. IATSE has sent the producers a grievance letter on behalf of the crew but because the producers conveniently never signed the IATSE contracts, there is a limit to what they can do.” …
