Producer Amy Williams files lawsuit against filmmakers behind indie drama Jacir, starring Lorraine Bracco

EXCLUSIVE: Producer Amy Williams has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Waheed AlQawasmi, the writer and director of the upcoming indie film jacirwith Lorraine Bracco.

The lawsuit also names WAFilms, the production company behind the film. AlQawasmi hit back, calling the complaint “baseless.”

In the lawsuit, filed in Chancery Court for Shelby County, Tennessee, producer Williams claims AlQawasmi wrongly removed her name as executive producer from the film and failed to pay her promised compensation for her work on the project. According to the filing, Williams said AlQawasmi approached her in 2016 to help produce the originally titled film My friend Jacir.

The lawsuit alleges Williams secured the film’s financing and cast, including Bracco, who plays the film’s lead. Production on the film wrapped in December 2020, after which the lawsuit alleges that AlQawasmi “manufactured” a breach of contract by Williams and terminated her involvement in the film “without cause and without notice.”

Williams claims that AlQawasmi made several “false and misleading statements” about her actions to enforce the termination, all of which she denied.

The lawsuit also includes several alleged complaints about AlQawasmi’s conduct on set. According to documents, Williams alleges that AlQawasmi “engaged in inappropriate behavior toward members of the cast and crew on a number of occasions.” The indictment also states that Al Qawasmi “consumed alcohol to excess and asked crew members for controlled substances” during production.

AlQawasmi and Mariana Trevino are currently listed as the sole producers of jacir on IMDb. The film will hit select theaters on March 24.

Williams told us, “Two months from completion jacir, Waheed withdrew all my film credits, declined all royalties and declined the 6 percent profit share I was promised. He and former COVID officer Mariana Trevino, whom I recruited, are actively promoting and marketing the film as sole producers and acknowledge my contributions.

She added, “Trevino joined the team right before filming and received bona fide co-producer credit for handling SAG paperwork and COVID-19 logs. It was on a shoestring budget and we all wore many hats.

jacir is an English and Arabic film that follows the life events between Jacir, an orphaned Syrian refugee who settles in a rough neighborhood of Memphis, and Meryl (Bracco), an opioid-addicted, ultra-conservative shut-in who works for immigrant and minority families fear. tracked her down. An unlikely friendship develops between the two as they both discover they have more in common than they thought.

In a statement to Deadline, AlQawasmi and the production team called William’s lawsuit baseless and denied any allegations of “improper behavior” on set.

“The allegations in Ms. Williams’ lawsuit is without merit. Jacir Movie, LLC denies that Ms. Williams was wrongfully dismissed and is confident that the evidence will support this,” the statement said. “As a result of Ms. Williams’ conduct, Jacir Movie sued her for breach of contract, breach of the implied duty of good faith and fair dealing, and for a declaration that Ms. Williams was ineligible for Produced By credit for her default.” to fulfill all its services and obligations in terms of the Producer Agreement fully and dutifully.”

In a separate statement, Trevino said she is also a financier of the film.

“In the film industry it is important to maintain a professional attitude and reputation. Accusations and negativity can affect people’s reputation and future prospects; So it’s important to get all the facts and hear both sides of the story before jumping to conclusions or making an unfair judgment,” Trevino said in a statement.

jacir is AlQawasmi’s feature film debut following a series of short films and music videos. He produced the film documentary in 2010 Hometown gorgeousDirected by Ray Costa.

Williams is a PGA member and produced the 2016 drama mothers and daughters, starring Courteney Cox, Selma Blair and Sharon Stone. Other credits include Scissors rock paper (2017), A dark enemy (2020) and those to come rally capswith Oscar nominee Judd Hirsch (The Fables).

Trevino was producer of the animated TV shows spike span (2010) and The Psammy Show (2019).

The depositions took place on December 5 and 6. The process is ongoing.