By Brendan Swift
Production house Liberty Films International has launched a damages claim against Omnilab Media over its involvement with feature film In Her Skin.
The case was originally spurred by a dispute between Liberty and the film’s international distributor, Reliant Pictures International, which is understood to have made substantial cuts to In Her Skin without the involvement of the filmmakers.
A $2.3 million Pacific Film and Television Commission loan backing the production failed to be repaid by its due date as the dispute dragged on. Liberty settled its court case over the unpaid revolving film fund loan late last week.
However, the PFTC is continuing to pursue a separate court case against Omnilab Media (and Mapp Group Holdings) – which had underwritten Reliant’s original distribution guarantee. Liberty filed its own damages claim against Omnilab on July 16 for its alleged non-payment of the minimum guarantee.
In Her Skin, starring Guy Pearce and Miranda Otto, tells the true-life story of 15-year-old student, Rachel Barber, who went missing in Melbourne in 1999 before being found murdered by former friend Caroline Reid.