Gravitas Ventures has acquired US rights to The Gig Is Up, Shannon Walsh’s feature documentary that explores the real costs of the controversial gig economy through the lives of workers from around the world for companies including Uber, Amazon and Deliveroo. Gravitas will now release the film on October 8 in theatres and on demand.
From delivering food and driving ride shares to tagging images for AI, millions of people are finding work task by task online, with the gig economy worth more than $5 trillion and growing worldwide. The pic tells the stories of the workers behind this tech revolution who have gone largely neglected amid often dangerous work conditions, inconsistent pay and the threat of being effectively fired through deactivation or a bad rating.
“We are thrilled to be releasing The Gig Is Up to American audiences just as the issues around gig work are at a fever pitch in the US since the pandemic,” Walsh said. “From coast to coast, gig work has become the norm, and hearing stories from the workers in our film couldn’t be more pressing.”
Ina Fichman and Luc Martin-Gousset produced the film, an Intuitive Pictures and Point du jour Production in association with ARTE France and documentary Channel with the participation of Rogers Group of Funds, Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, CNC, RTS, Evoke Media, Archer Gray, and Quebec and Canada tax credits.
Gravitas’ Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal with Dogwoof’s head of sales Ana Vicente on behalf of the filmmakers.