FIREFIGHTERS UNDER FIRE
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North Riverside, Illinois is a village just west of Chicago with a thriving mall that has provided outsized revenue to its population of less than 7,000 residents since its opening in 1974. This picture of suburban affluence was shattered in 2008, when the housing crash, the resulting economic recession, and the concurrent rise of e-commerce decimated brick and mortar store profits, and thus the village’s sales tax revenue.
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The Village finds itself more deeply entrenched in financial woes each year, and by 2013 is massively in debt to their firefighters’ pension fund. The newly-elected Mayor, along with his fixer attorney, comes up with a plan to eliminate the pension plans by privatizing the entire union fire department. There’s only one problem: the firefighters say no. In response, the Mayor terminates them all — illegally. What ensues is a half decade long legal battle that threatens to upend labor laws not only in Illinois, but the entire country.
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ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Starting in January of 2020, filming then began later that summer and continues today.
We originally planned to continue filming this story until May of 2021 when the election for Mayor and a new Firefighter's union contract is reached. However, after the election, we were able to gain additional access to follow the North Riverside Fire Department during their shifts at the fire house. We now expect filming to wrap by the middle of 2022.
Post production began in early 2021, with a trailer expected by end of the second quarter of 2022.
The goal is to have the final film completed by March of 2023.
We originally planned to continue filming this story until May of 2021 when the election for Mayor and a new Firefighter's union contract is reached. However, after the election, we were able to gain additional access to follow the North Riverside Fire Department during their shifts at the fire house. We now expect filming to wrap by the middle of 2022.
Post production began in early 2021, with a trailer expected by end of the second quarter of 2022.
The goal is to have the final film completed by March of 2023.
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