Loni Frankland began filming “Life on the Edge The Movie” after going from San Francisco to Oregon to “rescue” her 15 year old daughter when she ran away from home to attend a “Rainbow Family of Living Light National Gathering” in Oregon. http://www.WelcomeHome.org
Upon arrival, Frankland and her husband discovered 5,000-10,000 “hippies” camped all over a mountain for the purpose of saying “a Prayer for World Peace” at noon on the fourth of July. In spite of the overwhelming odds, they found their daughter, happy, healthy and having the time of her life.
Frankland became fascinated with the “Rainbow” lifestyle and purpose of the “largest non organization in the world” and began researching the group and filming at consecutive regional and national gatherings. She incorporated the characters from “Life on the Edge” (a comic strip she had been writing since 1977), with current events and a liberal interpretation of the Book of Revelations and wrote the screenplay for “Life on the Edge”. [Many of the pre 2000 Rainbow Family folks Frankland met, expressed a desire to "stay off the grid" in an attempt to avoid the events they thought were to come (i.e. Book of Revelations, 666, end of the world, etc.)}
In 1998, DV cameras had not been invented, so Frankland used home camcorders for the exterior footage and a borrowed MT camera to "impress the actors" and shoot the interior scenes. Word of her project spread, and volunteer cast, crew, and extras started showing up at Frankland's business Livermore Printers, Design and Sign in downtown Livermore, CA where Frankland is a marketing and graphic design expert. http://www.LivermorePrinter.com Just as the final edits were being edited on the film, 911 happened and Frankland incorporated the events in the film. By then, the political climate had changed (rabid patriotism) and Frankland decided to postpone launching the film.
That, and the computer crashed. Five times in five years, until in 2005, The Real ID Act was being pushed through Congress http://www.realnightmare.org - and Frankland saw it as "a message from God" - (line from the Blues Brothers) and incorporated it into her film. By then, participants were telling her that the film was coming true, so, in 2007, she worked day and night, finishing it just in time to show at the California Independent Film Festival, where it was shown to a sold out crowd.
See the trailer on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKqMwKy69z0