A Market Basket Documentary Is Underway

Val D’Aquila / Flickr

While New England was facing one of the most dramatic grocery store situations in the nation’s history, a couple of filmmakers quickly got in on the action with intentions of making a documentary about the incredible Market Basket saga.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, We the People: The Market Basket Effect will document the six-week-long boycott of Market Basket that involved retail suppliers, thousands of employees, millions of customers, and one seriously conflicted family of owners.

Nick Buzzell, the executive producer of the film, told THR:

“I saw this unfolding and was blown away by what was happening…We quickly assembled a team of filmmakers and a SWAT team on the ground and started shooting even before we had investors. We were able to capture in real time all the various elements of the story.”

As the story goes, the Demoulas family, who established Market Basket more than 40 years ago, built up their single store to a supermarket chain across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Known for its loyal employees and community members, protests ignited when CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was forced out following a family feud. The boycott ended last year when Demoulas bought out Market Basket for $1.5 billion.

Tommy Reid is directing We the People, who worked on documentaries such as Danny Green: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman and I Know That Voice. Lowell native Michael Chiklis (of American Horror Story and The Shield) is lending his voice as the narrator. Buzzell said the choice to ask Chiklis only “made sense.”

Interestingly enough, the funds that Buzzell raised for production came from private investors, most of whom live in the area and “have a personal interest in the story,” according to THR. As of now, Buzzell has acquired around $1 million in funds.

Buzzell and his team are currently in negotiations to put We the People in theaters, but are also looking into renting local theaters for showings and/or committing to TV specials.

A completion date is to be determined, but they’re in a hurry to wrap up the project while the Market Basket epic is “fresh.” Stay tuned.