Crude focuses on a lawsuit by Ecuadoreans against Chevron over pollution in the Amazon. Chevron is seeking 600 hours of footage from the film in an effort to shore up their case in the long-running lawsuit. Lawyers for Berlinger are arguing on First Amendment grounds that his material is protected by journalistic privilege.
Hundreds of filmmakers, organizations and concerned citizens have shown their support for Berlinger since the subpoena was issued in May. The IDA supported an open letter spearheaded by Patrick Creadon and Doug Blush, (see full letter here) which has been signed by hundreds of other filmmakers since its release (see the comments sections of the following articles on documentary.org and AJ Schnack's blog to read additional signees).
Notably, Robert Redford expressed his support of Berlinger with a piece he wrote for The Huffington Post on June 4, stating, "Filmmakers like Joe Berlinger fulfill a crucial role in today's society by providing independent information on pressing contemporary human rights and social issues. Their success as storytellers depends on access to those men and women willing to talk on camera. If the subjects of those documentaries are fearful of the ramifications of telling the truth then the filmmaker has no story."
Get the latest on Crude and these legal developments at the film's website.