The production company behind the Canadian feature 40 Acres (pictured) has responded to allegations of outstanding payments to vendors and production workers.

“We absolutely had cost overruns on the production,” said Jennifer Holness, president of 40 Acres producer Hungry Eyes Media, in a statement to Playback Daily. While the company “made payroll every week and in a timely manner…there is a small amount owed regarding kit fees and expendables, and unfortunately some vendors remain unpaid.” She added that actors were paid in full, “with some late fee penalties owing.”

IATSE local chapters 634 and 411 issued a joint statement on Sept. 6 claiming that several vendors have yet to receive payment for services rendered during the production, which wrapped in Sudbury, Ont. in October 2023. The statement was sent to members and shared on social media.

The local unions also claimed that payments to some of the actors and crews who worked on set are still outstanding.

“ACTRA Toronto members contracted for the production have not yet been paid in full,” a spokesperson for ACTRA Toronto told Playback. The union rep was unable to confirm the exact amount still owed.

Hungry Eyes Media has “been working tirelessly with independent accountants to address all approved costs, and we have kept vendors informed,” said Holness.

“Over the past months we have been paying down costs as we have been able to. It has been difficult, but through sheer hard work, passion and many sleepless nights, we are ready to launch our excellent film with the goal to sell the movie and resolve the situation for our vendors,” she added.

40 Acres made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept. 6. “[It is] profoundly disappointing to learn that 40 Acres is being showcased at festivals such as TIFF while there are significant outstanding payments to its employees and vendors,” said IATSE Local 634 and 411 in the joint statement.

Written and directed by R.T. Thorne, 40 Acres takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a Black family must protect their farmland from a militia group.

Image courtesy of TIFF