Tony Sokol May 16, 2019
Joe Berlinger speaks about the human story behind his Ted Bundy feature Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile.
Ted Bundy was 32 years old when he was sentenced to death in 1979 for the brutal murders of two Florida State Chi Omega sorority sisters, Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, as well as three attempted murder charges for Kathy Kleiner, Karen Chandler, and Cheryl Thomas. The trial marked the first time in American history cameras were allowed in a courtroom, and Bundy used that to orchestrate a media circus. Serving as his own counsel, Bundy charmed veteran judge Edward D. Cowart, who called the defendant “a bright young man” with the makings of “a good lawyer.” The judge changed his tune on sentencing, classifying Bundy's crimes as "extremely wicked, shockingly evil, and vile."
Director Joe Berlinger borrowed that classification for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which we caught up...
Joe Berlinger speaks about the human story behind his Ted Bundy feature Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile.
Ted Bundy was 32 years old when he was sentenced to death in 1979 for the brutal murders of two Florida State Chi Omega sorority sisters, Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, as well as three attempted murder charges for Kathy Kleiner, Karen Chandler, and Cheryl Thomas. The trial marked the first time in American history cameras were allowed in a courtroom, and Bundy used that to orchestrate a media circus. Serving as his own counsel, Bundy charmed veteran judge Edward D. Cowart, who called the defendant “a bright young man” with the makings of “a good lawyer.” The judge changed his tune on sentencing, classifying Bundy's crimes as "extremely wicked, shockingly evil, and vile."
Director Joe Berlinger borrowed that classification for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which we caught up...
- 5/16/2019
- Den of Geek
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger doesn’t mind taking on some powerful forces. He squared off with oil giant Chevron in Crude. In the Paradise Lost trilogy, he went up against prosecutors in the notorious case of the West Memphis Three. With his latest film, Intent to Destroy, he's running afoul of the government of the Republic of Turkey. "Bring it on, that's my attitude," Berlinger tells Deadline. Intent to Destroy, which recently qualified for Oscar…...
- 11/10/2017
- Deadline
Spencer Proffer, Steve Binder, Joe Berlinger join forces for 2018 production start on ‘The Colonel’.
Music and media producer Spencer Proffer, producer-director Steve Binder and filmmaker Joe Berlinger have teamed up to bring the profile of long-time music manager Colonel Tom Parker to the big screen.
Parker, who died in 1997 aged 87, was a music business entrepreneur who lived an intriguing personal life. He arrived in America as a 20-year old undocumented Dutch immigrant, and took great pains to hide his past. According to biographer Alanna Nash, he may have been involved in a murder in his native Holland.
Berlinger will direct from a screenplay based on Nash’s 2003 book The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story Of Colonel Tom Parker And Elvis Presley, published by Simon & Schuster. It was one of four books Nash authored on Presley.
The team will work from an outline developed by Nash and Berlinger, and Nash will co-write the screenplay.
Berlinger is producing...
Music and media producer Spencer Proffer, producer-director Steve Binder and filmmaker Joe Berlinger have teamed up to bring the profile of long-time music manager Colonel Tom Parker to the big screen.
Parker, who died in 1997 aged 87, was a music business entrepreneur who lived an intriguing personal life. He arrived in America as a 20-year old undocumented Dutch immigrant, and took great pains to hide his past. According to biographer Alanna Nash, he may have been involved in a murder in his native Holland.
Berlinger will direct from a screenplay based on Nash’s 2003 book The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story Of Colonel Tom Parker And Elvis Presley, published by Simon & Schuster. It was one of four books Nash authored on Presley.
The team will work from an outline developed by Nash and Berlinger, and Nash will co-write the screenplay.
Berlinger is producing...
- 6/26/2017
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger has joined the International Documentary Association’s (Ida) board of directors. Said Ida Board President, Marjan Safinia in a statement: "Two years ago, at the inaugural Getting Real 2014 documentary conference, Joe Berlinger spoke movingly about the power of the Ida community rallying to support him as he dealt with law suits from Chevron in response to his film Crude. Having witnessed first-hand the…...
- 8/25/2016
- Deadline
Music is an integral part of filmmaking, moving the story and touching the audience. Where would iconic movies such as Star Wars, Avatar, The Godfather, or Gone with the Wind be without its music? Would Downton Abbey, Dexter, or House of Cards be the same and have audiences glued to their TVs without music? Would gamers immerse into Final Fantasy or Legend of Zelda if they were silent? Movie music has moved us all to cheer, cry, and fall in love for more than 100 years. Yet the vast majority of composers hired to create this vital part of Hollywood’s cultural landscape have been men. Well, that musical glass ceiling is about to crack!
Grand Performances, the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” in Los Angeles and the Alliance for Women Film Composers team up celebrate the music of women composers in film, television, video games and interactive media at...
Grand Performances, the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” in Los Angeles and the Alliance for Women Film Composers team up celebrate the music of women composers in film, television, video games and interactive media at...
- 8/3/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The film-maker had had enough of making – and watching – documentaries about social ills, so decided to make a ‘feel-good’ movie about one of America’s most famous motivational speakers
Joe Berlinger and Tony Robbins are a curious pairing, and not just because at 6ft 7in, Robbins resembles a superhero standing next to his friend and collaborator.
Berlinger is an activist and award-winning documentary film-maker. His Paradise Lost trilogy, shot over two decades, led to the release of the West Memphis Three after more than 20 years of wrongful imprisonment for the supposedly satanically inspired murder of three boys. In his 2009 documentary Crude, Berlinger took on the Chevron Corporation while investigating the story behind the world’s largest oil-related environmental lawsuit, which landed him in hot water.
Continue reading...
Joe Berlinger and Tony Robbins are a curious pairing, and not just because at 6ft 7in, Robbins resembles a superhero standing next to his friend and collaborator.
Berlinger is an activist and award-winning documentary film-maker. His Paradise Lost trilogy, shot over two decades, led to the release of the West Memphis Three after more than 20 years of wrongful imprisonment for the supposedly satanically inspired murder of three boys. In his 2009 documentary Crude, Berlinger took on the Chevron Corporation while investigating the story behind the world’s largest oil-related environmental lawsuit, which landed him in hot water.
Continue reading...
- 7/21/2016
- by Nigel M Smith
- The Guardian - Film News
New York based First Run Features, one of the leading distributors of independent films, has acquired the North American rights to the Indian documentary Algorithms, directed by Ian McDonald.
Algorithms follows three boys and a champion player turned pioneer over three years and uncovers the fascinating but largely unknown world of Blind Chess.
Directed by British filmmaker Ian McDonald and produced by Geetha J. the documentary has screened at over twelve international film festivals and won four awards, including Best Film at Film SouthAsia in Kathmandu.
Marc Mauceri, Vice President of First Run Features, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with Ian and Geetha on their strikingly original and beautifully crafted film. It’s the first documentary from India we’ve taken on, and we’re excited about bringing it to a North American audience as well as working with both the Indian and chess communities to build audiences and awareness.
Algorithms follows three boys and a champion player turned pioneer over three years and uncovers the fascinating but largely unknown world of Blind Chess.
Directed by British filmmaker Ian McDonald and produced by Geetha J. the documentary has screened at over twelve international film festivals and won four awards, including Best Film at Film SouthAsia in Kathmandu.
Marc Mauceri, Vice President of First Run Features, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with Ian and Geetha on their strikingly original and beautifully crafted film. It’s the first documentary from India we’ve taken on, and we’re excited about bringing it to a North American audience as well as working with both the Indian and chess communities to build audiences and awareness.
- 1/13/2014
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The Tribeca Film Festival have announced the juries for each category of competition. A host of actors, directors and journalists have been selected that include Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Haggis, Josh Radnor, Eva Longoria and Bryce Dallas Howard.
The members selected will be judging the films that fall within their respective categories, and you can check out the list below. Make sure to check back with us for all the latest from Tribeca including reviews, interviews and more! The festival runs from April 17th – April 28th in New York City.
World Competition Categories
The jurors for the 2013 World Narrative Competition are:
Kenny Lonergan: Academy Award®-nominated playwright, filmmaker and screenwriter. Credits include You Can Count On Me,Gangs of New York, and Margaret. His stage credits include Lobby Hero, The Waverly Gallery and This is Our Youth. He is a member of the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York.
The members selected will be judging the films that fall within their respective categories, and you can check out the list below. Make sure to check back with us for all the latest from Tribeca including reviews, interviews and more! The festival runs from April 17th – April 28th in New York City.
World Competition Categories
The jurors for the 2013 World Narrative Competition are:
Kenny Lonergan: Academy Award®-nominated playwright, filmmaker and screenwriter. Credits include You Can Count On Me,Gangs of New York, and Margaret. His stage credits include Lobby Hero, The Waverly Gallery and This is Our Youth. He is a member of the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York.
- 4/15/2013
- by Damen Norton
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Tribeca Film Festival announced today that it has selected 42 jurors for this year’s festival. The jurors include members of the filmmaking community — including Bryce Dallas Howard, Whoopi Goldberg, Paul Haggis, Taraji P. Henson, Kenneth Lonergan, Eva Longoria, Josh Radnor, and Evan Rachel Wood — as well as policy makers and entertainment business leaders.
According to a press release, the seven juries will award $180,000 in cash and prizes during the Festival (April 17-28). Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards will award an additional $20,000 — $10,000 for narrative and $10,000 for documentary. All winners will also receive a work of original art by...
According to a press release, the seven juries will award $180,000 in cash and prizes during the Festival (April 17-28). Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards will award an additional $20,000 — $10,000 for narrative and $10,000 for documentary. All winners will also receive a work of original art by...
- 4/10/2013
- by Lanford Beard
- EW - Inside Movies
A longtime friend of the festival, Joe Berlinger has brought along with Bruce Sinofsky docu titles such as Brother’s Keeper (Sundance ’92), 1996′s Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (the first part in the trilogy), Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (Sundance ’04) and Crude (Sundance ’09). We can forgive Berlinger for getting sidetracked and not delivering Raising Hell: The Visions of Clive Barker sooner, after all, he was helping the innocent finally spring free from incarceration (Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory) and he followed Paul Simon’s return to Graceland (Under African Skies). Shot in 2011 (here’s a long preview trailer), there appears to have been a little bit more work added over the years to Barker’s own creations which in sort perhaps added more girth to this docu-exploration. Park City at Midnight folks? Perhaps.
Gist: Inspired by an interview with Clive which he filmed in April 2009 for the Dream The Impossible commercial project,...
Gist: Inspired by an interview with Clive which he filmed in April 2009 for the Dream The Impossible commercial project,...
- 11/21/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Crude, Some Kind Of Monster) woke up in Park City this morning to the news his film Paradise Lost: Purgatory got an Oscar nomination. Berlinger stopped by the Sundance Channel HQ to talk about the honor and the twenty years he spent documenting the West Memphis Three. For those of you not familiar with the story, The West Memphis Three were teenagers convicted of murdering three young children back in 1994. Berlinger's trilogy of films followed the young men's trial, appeals and eventual release. Many people credit Berlinger's films (co-directed with Bruce Sinofsky) with playing a role in securing the men's release after 18 years in prison.
- 1/24/2012
- by Sundance Channel
- Sundance Channel
by Steve Dollar
Rarely has a documentary made such an impact on its subject as the series of Paradise Lost films, tracking the long and strange saga of the West Memphis Three. Over the last two decades, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have become part of the case, which began in 1993 with the shocking and mystifying murders of three eight-year-old Cub Scouts in West Memphis, Arkansas. Amid allegations of devil worship and a highly dubious confession leaked to the press, three high school boys—Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin—were convicted, despite no physical evidence that linked them to the crime. On Aug. 19 last year, Echols—who had been on death row—and the other two men, now in their mid-30s, were freed after entering so-called Alford pleas, a mixed bag that allowed them to profess their innocence while pleading guilty. The deal came four...
Rarely has a documentary made such an impact on its subject as the series of Paradise Lost films, tracking the long and strange saga of the West Memphis Three. Over the last two decades, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have become part of the case, which began in 1993 with the shocking and mystifying murders of three eight-year-old Cub Scouts in West Memphis, Arkansas. Amid allegations of devil worship and a highly dubious confession leaked to the press, three high school boys—Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin—were convicted, despite no physical evidence that linked them to the crime. On Aug. 19 last year, Echols—who had been on death row—and the other two men, now in their mid-30s, were freed after entering so-called Alford pleas, a mixed bag that allowed them to profess their innocence while pleading guilty. The deal came four...
- 1/14/2012
- GreenCine Daily
First Run Features announced today its acquisition of the award-winning documentary The Pruitt-igoe Myth from filmmaker Chad Freidrichs. First Run is planning a March 2012 theatrical launch with VOD, home video and television to follow. The deal was negotiated by Film Sales Company head Andrew Herwitz and First Run’s Marc Mauceri.
The Pruitt-igoe Myth tells the story of the transformation of the American city in the decades after World War II, through the lens of the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing development and the St. Louis residents who called it home.
It began as a housing marvel. Built in 1956, Pruitt-Igoe was heralded as the model public housing project of the future, “the poor man’s penthouse.” Two decades later, it ended in rubble – its razing an iconic event that the architectual theorist Charles Jenks famously called the death of modernism. The footage and images of its implosion have helped to perpetuate a myth of failure,...
The Pruitt-igoe Myth tells the story of the transformation of the American city in the decades after World War II, through the lens of the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing development and the St. Louis residents who called it home.
It began as a housing marvel. Built in 1956, Pruitt-Igoe was heralded as the model public housing project of the future, “the poor man’s penthouse.” Two decades later, it ended in rubble – its razing an iconic event that the architectual theorist Charles Jenks famously called the death of modernism. The footage and images of its implosion have helped to perpetuate a myth of failure,...
- 12/13/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
#71. Untitled Paul Simon Documentary - Joe Berlinger Since his 1992 Sundance winning debut Brother's Keeper, Joe Berlinger has been a mainstay with the festival. He last premiered 2009's Crude at the fest and recently mentioned that he is hoping to bring a Paul Simon doc to the fest - we expect it there and we expect it to be nothing like his last music-related doc, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. Gist: Musician Paul Simon reunites with the performers of Ladysmith Black Mambazo in South Africa for the 25th anniversary of their work together on the hit album "Graceland." Producer: Joe Berlinger(Ioncinema.com Preview Page // IMDb Link) ...
- 11/14/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
"The media is owned by three people. A lot of stories aren’t covered. I think documentary makers are amongst the last bastion of independent reporting. It’s harder and harder to do what we do." - Joe Berlinger On Monday, October 17, documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Crude, Brother's Keeper, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster) met members of the documentary community at Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater to watch his most recent film, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory. This three-part documentary series is unique to the genre - it revisits its subjects year ...
- 10/28/2011
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
Getty Alec Baldwin
The Hamptons International Film Festival kicks off today and runs until Monday, Oct. 17. The festival, now in its 19th year, includes programs such as conversations with personalities, and draws about 18,000 people each year, according to Executive Director Karen Arikian. Films will be shown in East Hampton, Southampton, Montauk, Sag Harbor, and Westhampton.
“What distinguishes us from other festivals is we’re located in a very incredibly beautiful spot,” Arikian told Speakeasy. “During the fall, it’s very loose and informal.
The Hamptons International Film Festival kicks off today and runs until Monday, Oct. 17. The festival, now in its 19th year, includes programs such as conversations with personalities, and draws about 18,000 people each year, according to Executive Director Karen Arikian. Films will be shown in East Hampton, Southampton, Montauk, Sag Harbor, and Westhampton.
“What distinguishes us from other festivals is we’re located in a very incredibly beautiful spot,” Arikian told Speakeasy. “During the fall, it’s very loose and informal.
- 10/13/2011
- by Barbara Chai
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
If the name Joe Berlinger rings a bell, you're probably a big fan of Metallica. Most likely, though, it's because the Ida has done a lot of advocacy work on his behalf. During his struggles with Crude, the Ida and a group of filmmakers that includes Academy Award winners and nominees issued an open letter in support of the filmmaker, objecting to a judge's ruling that Chevron could subpoena Mr. Berlinger's footage from his film. Now, the Ida is continuing our strong relationship with Berlinger and his work by hosting ...
- 10/11/2011
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch.
As super-powered mutants do battle in multiplexes across the nation, a trio of indies will open in limited release, unleashing tales of love, acceptance, and protest. To take the heart-pounding, mind-broadening, soul-warming and/or consciousness-awakening experience home, try our selected picks from the libraries of Netflix’s streaming features.
—
X-Men: First Class
In this prequel to Bryan Singer’s genre-resurrecting X-Men, director Matthew Vaughn leaps back to 1963, where Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) is just beginning to lay the groundwork for his school, with the help of his best friend, Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender). Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, and Kevin Bacon co-star.
Kick-Ass (2010) The self-reflexive indie flick that brought Mark Millar’s gritty comic to life is also what scored director Vaughn the X-Men gig. Aaron Johnson...
As super-powered mutants do battle in multiplexes across the nation, a trio of indies will open in limited release, unleashing tales of love, acceptance, and protest. To take the heart-pounding, mind-broadening, soul-warming and/or consciousness-awakening experience home, try our selected picks from the libraries of Netflix’s streaming features.
—
X-Men: First Class
In this prequel to Bryan Singer’s genre-resurrecting X-Men, director Matthew Vaughn leaps back to 1963, where Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) is just beginning to lay the groundwork for his school, with the help of his best friend, Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender). Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, and Kevin Bacon co-star.
Kick-Ass (2010) The self-reflexive indie flick that brought Mark Millar’s gritty comic to life is also what scored director Vaughn the X-Men gig. Aaron Johnson...
- 6/2/2011
- by Kristy Puchko
- The Film Stage
As reported in The New York Times, a federal appeals court ruled earlier this month that filmmaker Joe Berlinger could not invoke journalist's privilege in protecting the 600 hours of footage of his documentary Crude from Chevron's subpoena of the material last spring.
Although the same Second Court of Appeals ruled last summer that Chevron could not arbitrarily claim all of Berlinger's footage, in submitting the more recent ruling, the judges wrote, "Given all the circumstances of the making of the film, as reasonably found by the district court, particularly the fact ...
Although the same Second Court of Appeals ruled last summer that Chevron could not arbitrarily claim all of Berlinger's footage, in submitting the more recent ruling, the judges wrote, "Given all the circumstances of the making of the film, as reasonably found by the district court, particularly the fact ...
- 1/27/2011
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
A Manhattan federal appeals court has ruled that documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger cannot fight a subpoena by Chevron seeking raw footage from his documentary “Crude” because he is not protected by journalist’s privilege, Courthouse News Service reported.
Berlinger’s work was not independent journalism since lawyers suing Chevron in Lago Agrio, Ecuador, for $113 billion, solicited him to make the film, the court found.
“Crude” examines the now-infamous “Amazon Chernobyl” case that rose from a dispute pitting 30,000 indigenous and colonial rainforest dwellers in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador against Chevron. The film alleges that from the mid-1960s until the early 1990s, Texaco (now Chevron) dumped 18 billion gallons of oil and toxic waste into the rainforest, creating a 1,700-square-mile “cancer death zone.” The plaintiffs in the suit allege this resulted in birth defects, leukemia, miscarriages and other ailments being suffered by the people who live in the region.
Backed by...
Berlinger’s work was not independent journalism since lawyers suing Chevron in Lago Agrio, Ecuador, for $113 billion, solicited him to make the film, the court found.
“Crude” examines the now-infamous “Amazon Chernobyl” case that rose from a dispute pitting 30,000 indigenous and colonial rainforest dwellers in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador against Chevron. The film alleges that from the mid-1960s until the early 1990s, Texaco (now Chevron) dumped 18 billion gallons of oil and toxic waste into the rainforest, creating a 1,700-square-mile “cancer death zone.” The plaintiffs in the suit allege this resulted in birth defects, leukemia, miscarriages and other ailments being suffered by the people who live in the region.
Backed by...
- 1/14/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
"I don't want people who see my films to be scared. I want them to act," Michael Moore told a post-screening audience last night at an event presented by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Chicken & Egg Pictures and Indies Direct. That's why, he said, 2009's "Capitalism: A Love Story" is his last film "until I see that happen. I'm not going to provide entertainment for people who can leave the theater going 'Right on!'" But taking a break from filmmaking himself hasn't stopped Moore from supporting his fellow documentarians, including Emily and Sarah Kunstler, whose "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" is on this year's Oscar shortlist.
The film's a portrait of the pair's father, self-described "radical lawyer" William Kunstler, as well as a yearning look back at a turbulent but far more politically active and fiery era. In his career Kunstler represented everyone from the Black Panther Party and...
The film's a portrait of the pair's father, self-described "radical lawyer" William Kunstler, as well as a yearning look back at a turbulent but far more politically active and fiery era. In his career Kunstler represented everyone from the Black Panther Party and...
- 12/7/2010
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
Now that he seems to have filmed all there is to document in the deep sea, particularly regarding the wreckage of the Titanic, James Cameron apparently has a new obsession: indigenous tribes of the Amazon. Recently he spoke about the Achuar people, who'd seen Avatar and responded in a way that made him alter his plot ideas for the film's sequel. Now he's talking about making a 3D documentary on Brazil's Xikrin-Kayapo tribe. He has already filmed a short piece about their opposition to a major dam project in their area (the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant), which will be included as a bonus feature on the next Avatar DVD release out this Christmas. The feature will be more on the tribe's life and culture.
Cameron, who likened the plot of Avatar to the tribe's issue with the dam construction, could learn a few things from other recent documentaries about Amazon peoples.
Cameron, who likened the plot of Avatar to the tribe's issue with the dam construction, could learn a few things from other recent documentaries about Amazon peoples.
- 9/8/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
The Wall Street Journal today raises interesting issues in revealing that documentary filmmaker Ric Burns has been quietly getting paid by Goldman Sachs to make a film about the brokerage house--with Goldman Sachs reportedly maintaining editorial control. This might well have seemed like a harmless industrial film and a way for a journalist to make some freelance income when the project began in 2007, long before the financial meltdown. Given a recent fraud investigation, the scrutiny on Goldman Sachs' derivatives operations and the hypersensitivity to Wall Street in general, it's a tough situation to be for a journalist to be in. Even though the film was never meant for public consumption. Burns, who with brother Ken is created the PBS series The Civil War and many other important works, was recently outspoken when Crude documentary director Joe Berlinger was ordered to turn over outtake footage to Chevron, telling The New York...
- 7/26/2010
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
The Court of Appeals issued an order in the case of Joe Berlinger, a day after hearing arguments from attorneys for both the filmmaker and for Chevron, which underscores the court's recognition of the urgency involved in such matters. Berlinger had been ordered by the trial court to turn over 600 hours from his documentary Crude to Chevron. This order is a partial victory for both sides. Chevron gets some but not all of what it wants. Berlinger has to turn over some, but not all 600 hours of footage. The many ...
- 7/17/2010
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
Yesterday, July 13, a panel of three Federal Appeal Court judges heard arguments to determine whether filmmaker, Joe Berlinger will have to turn over to Chevron 600 hours of raw footage he shot while producing the documentary Crude. Chevron went to court to gain access to the footage to help in defending itself against a massive Ecuadorian class-action lawsuit brought by workers and residents of the Amazon who are seeking redress for years of environmental pollution.
Attorney Michael C. Donaldson filed an Amicus Brief on behalf of International Documentary Association, as ...
Attorney Michael C. Donaldson filed an Amicus Brief on behalf of International Documentary Association, as ...
- 7/15/2010
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
The ongoing saga of the class action lawsuit, Aguinda v. Chevron, originally filed in 1993 by the people of Ecuador whose rainforest land had been contaminated by oil production practices, and documented on film by Joe Berlinger in Crude, has taken a new turn. Chevron's latest diversionary and delaying tactic is to engage in a widespread and unprecedented legal assault on the First Amendment in their attempt to force Berlinger, the celebrated independent documentarian, to turn over more than 600 hours of private film outtakes from Crude. Chevron's legal tactic has attracted widespread criticism from prominent individuals across the media community, including actor and filmmaker Robert Redford, journalist Bill Moyers, bestselling author John Perkins, documentarians Michael Moore and Ric Burns, the Director's Guild of America, the Writer's Guild of America, and others. Virtually every major U.S. media outlet, including the NY Times,...
- 7/14/2010
- by Trudie Styler
- Huffington Post
The following letter, drafted from materials provided by Donaldson and Callif, is an update on an amicus brief filed in support of filmmaker Joe Berlinger. If you’re not familiar with the situation regarding his film Crude and Chevron, please read the below and then this editorial by Robert Redford detailing the importance of this case. On June 23, 2010, the Ifp joined thirteen other organizations and nine individuals in signing an amicus brief in support of filmmaker Joe Berlinger, who was ordered to turn over 600 hours of outtakes from his documentary Crude to petrochemical company Chevron Corporation. Chevron, threatened by an Ecuadorian class-action lawsuit for environmental contamination to the Amazon rainforest (the Lago...
- 7/6/2010
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Industry organizations and documentary filmmakers joined forces today by lending their names to an amicus brief filed on their behalf by attorney Michael C. Donaldson in support of Joe Berlinger who was ordered to turn over some 600 hours of raw footage shot in connection with his film Crude.
American petrochemical company Chevron Corporation asked the court for the order in connection with an Ecuadorian class-action lawsuit. Chevron is being sued over environmental contamination in the Amazon rainforest (the Lago Agrio Litigation). Additionally, Chevron intended to use the footage to help ...
American petrochemical company Chevron Corporation asked the court for the order in connection with an Ecuadorian class-action lawsuit. Chevron is being sued over environmental contamination in the Amazon rainforest (the Lago Agrio Litigation). Additionally, Chevron intended to use the footage to help ...
- 6/24/2010
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
Filmmaker Joe Berlinger will be back in court next month, defending himself against a move by Chevron to gain access to 600+ hours of footage he used to make "Crude: The Real Price of Oil," a documentary about the oil company that debuted at last year's Sundance Film Festival. The company is hoping to use the documentary outtakes to defend itself against the class action lawsuit depicted in the film itself. ...
- 6/23/2010
- Indiewire
Actor Robert Redford is worried about the affect that a recent Us court ruling may have on peoples’ freedom to express opinion in civil society – when journalistic privilege disappears, few will be willing to talk to filmmakers on social and human rights issues.
“On May 6, 2010,” Redford wrote in the Huffington Post, “Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered filmmaker Joe Berlinger to turn over to Chevron Corporation all raw footage from the making of his documentary, Crude: The Real Price of Oil. Chevron has sued to use this footage to bolster its legal proceedings in the very same case that is the central subject of Berlinger’s film. The potential ramifications of this for the journalist community, film world and society in general are both shocking and profound.”
Read more...
“On May 6, 2010,” Redford wrote in the Huffington Post, “Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered filmmaker Joe Berlinger to turn over to Chevron Corporation all raw footage from the making of his documentary, Crude: The Real Price of Oil. Chevron has sued to use this footage to bolster its legal proceedings in the very same case that is the central subject of Berlinger’s film. The potential ramifications of this for the journalist community, film world and society in general are both shocking and profound.”
Read more...
- 6/23/2010
- Look to the Stars
The director of a film about oil does not have to turn over hundreds of hours of footage to Chevron, thanks to an appeals court ruling. Director Joe Berlinger's investigative film Crude: The Real Price of Oil, documents part of an ongoing $27 billion class action lawsuit filed against Texaco (which is now part of Chevron) by Ecuadorian people over the pollution of their land, and the oil company wants his footage. "Chevron recently served...
- 6/9/2010
- by Andy Dehnart
- Reality Blurred
Updated through 6/9.
Sickened, frustrated, angry, the world watches the worst environmental catastrophe in Us history seep out across the Gulf of Mexico and towards the Atlantic. "The current disaster makes Joe Berlinger's documentary Crude — which screens on Monday at Facets as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival — more timely than ever." Jr Jones explains in the Chicago Reader:...
Sickened, frustrated, angry, the world watches the worst environmental catastrophe in Us history seep out across the Gulf of Mexico and towards the Atlantic. "The current disaster makes Joe Berlinger's documentary Crude — which screens on Monday at Facets as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival — more timely than ever." Jr Jones explains in the Chicago Reader:...
- 6/9/2010
- MUBI
Us court grants Crude film-maker reprieve from decision demanding he hand over unseen footage to oil company
The oil company Chevron has hit a stumbling block in its attempts to secure 600 hours of outtake footage from a critically acclaimed documentary about its alleged role in polluting part of the Amazonian rainforest.
The Us second court of appeals yesterday granted film-maker Joe Berlinger a reprieve from an order that he turn over the extra footage from his 2009 documentary Crude to the oil firm. However, this is only the latest development in a protracted legal case.
Chevron Corporation is being sued in for $27bn (£18.5bn) in a class-action lawsuit brought by 30,000 Ecuadorians living in the Amazonian rainforest, who claim their environment has been polluted by the oil industry. The suit follows the drilling by the company of the Lago Agrio oil field, the fallout from which has been described by critics as...
The oil company Chevron has hit a stumbling block in its attempts to secure 600 hours of outtake footage from a critically acclaimed documentary about its alleged role in polluting part of the Amazonian rainforest.
The Us second court of appeals yesterday granted film-maker Joe Berlinger a reprieve from an order that he turn over the extra footage from his 2009 documentary Crude to the oil firm. However, this is only the latest development in a protracted legal case.
Chevron Corporation is being sued in for $27bn (£18.5bn) in a class-action lawsuit brought by 30,000 Ecuadorians living in the Amazonian rainforest, who claim their environment has been polluted by the oil industry. The suit follows the drilling by the company of the Lago Agrio oil field, the fallout from which has been described by critics as...
- 6/9/2010
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Director Joe Berlinger as been granted another stay by a New York Appeals Court on complying with Chevron's subpoena to hand over hundreds of hours of footage from his 2009 documentary Crude. The stay has been granted until the July when the court hears arguments for the case.
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 ...
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 ...
- 6/9/2010
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
By Brent Lang
A New York Appeals Court suspended a lower court ruling requiring filmmaker Joe Berlinger to immediately hand over outtakes from his 2009 documentary "Crude" to Chevron.
The court granted Berlinger a stay on complying with the oil company's subpoena until it hears arguments for the case next July.
Chevron claims it needs access to over 600 hours of film that Berlinger shot for his documentary as part of its defense in a $27 billion civil ac...
A New York Appeals Court suspended a lower court ruling requiring filmmaker Joe Berlinger to immediately hand over outtakes from his 2009 documentary "Crude" to Chevron.
The court granted Berlinger a stay on complying with the oil company's subpoena until it hears arguments for the case next July.
Chevron claims it needs access to over 600 hours of film that Berlinger shot for his documentary as part of its defense in a $27 billion civil ac...
- 6/8/2010
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
With the Gulf of Mexico oil spill still in the headlines, I thought it fitting this week to watch some documentaries about that troublesome black liquid known as petroleum. I'm sure that one day we'll get a film or three specifically about Bp's Deepwater Horizon disaster, and I'm also looking forward to the HBO premiere of the relevant, critically acclaimed Sundance-winner GasLand on June 21 (our own Jette enjoyed the film at the Marfa Film Festival), but for now let me share some thoughts on two very different yet similarly titled docs involving oil, Basil Gepke and Ray McCormack's A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash and Joe Berlinger's Crude.
I'll start with the former, which was released earlier (in 2006) and which is by far the weaker of the two. Honestly, I'm not sure how the film garnered so many positive reviews, as well as awards from multiple film festivals...
I'll start with the former, which was released earlier (in 2006) and which is by far the weaker of the two. Honestly, I'm not sure how the film garnered so many positive reviews, as well as awards from multiple film festivals...
- 5/27/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
It's a good day for the Crude side of the ongoing Crude vs. Chevron saga.
Today, a federal appeals judge in Manhattan ordered a June 8 hearing to consider a subpoena issued on May 6 by a federal district judge that ordered Crude filmmaker Joe Berlinger to turn over hundreds of hours of unused footage from his film.
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 ...
Today, a federal appeals judge in Manhattan ordered a June 8 hearing to consider a subpoena issued on May 6 by a federal district judge that ordered Crude filmmaker Joe Berlinger to turn over hundreds of hours of unused footage from his film.
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 ...
- 5/22/2010
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
By Brent Lang
Joe Berlinger received a reprieve in his ongoing fight against orders to turn over unused footage from his 2009 documentary "Crude" to Chevron.
The Second Circuit Court has granted the documentary filmmaker a temporary stay until June 8, when a motions panel will hear his request for a longer stay that would last throughout the appeals process.
This represents a rare piece of good news for the director, whose legal challenges to the oil company's sub...
Joe Berlinger received a reprieve in his ongoing fight against orders to turn over unused footage from his 2009 documentary "Crude" to Chevron.
The Second Circuit Court has granted the documentary filmmaker a temporary stay until June 8, when a motions panel will hear his request for a longer stay that would last throughout the appeals process.
This represents a rare piece of good news for the director, whose legal challenges to the oil company's sub...
- 5/21/2010
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
By Brent Lang
"Crude" director Joe Berlinger scored a modest victory in New York District Court on Thursday.
Judge Lewis Kaplan granted Berlinger a 10-day extension on the date he is required to surrender 600 hours of footage to Chevron.
Originally, Berlinger had been ordered to turn over the footage on Thursday. The extension will allow him to seek a hearing before a federal appeals court.
If he fails to turn over the footage by May 31, he...
"Crude" director Joe Berlinger scored a modest victory in New York District Court on Thursday.
Judge Lewis Kaplan granted Berlinger a 10-day extension on the date he is required to surrender 600 hours of footage to Chevron.
Originally, Berlinger had been ordered to turn over the footage on Thursday. The extension will allow him to seek a hearing before a federal appeals court.
If he fails to turn over the footage by May 31, he...
- 5/20/2010
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
By Brent Lang
The Directors Guild of America has added its voice to the chorus of filmmakers rallying behind "Crude" director Joe Berlinger.
The DGA issued a statement on Wednesday calling on the courts to overturn a New York district court decision ordering the documentary maker to turn over 600 hours of footage from his 2009 film to Chevron.
The word of encouragement from DGA President Taylor Hackford come on the same day that Berlinger's legal team wa...
The Directors Guild of America has added its voice to the chorus of filmmakers rallying behind "Crude" director Joe Berlinger.
The DGA issued a statement on Wednesday calling on the courts to overturn a New York district court decision ordering the documentary maker to turn over 600 hours of footage from his 2009 film to Chevron.
The word of encouragement from DGA President Taylor Hackford come on the same day that Berlinger's legal team wa...
- 5/19/2010
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
The Writer’s Guild East has come out on behalf of documentary director Joe Berlinger, who last week was ordered by a Federal Judge to give Chevron more than 600 hours of footage he compiled for the documentary Crude: The Real Price of Oil. The issue has become a First Amendment flashpoint. Here is the Wgae statement: “In defense of free speech and the First Amendment, the Writers Guild of America, East joins with the Independent Documentary Association (Ida) in support of documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger and in objection to Federal Judge Lewis A. Kaplan's recent ruling that Berlinger must turn over to [...]...
- 5/18/2010
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
By Brent Lang
The International Documentary Association and dozens of big-name filmmakers have sprung to the defense of "Crude" director Joe Berlinger.
Last week, Berlinger was ordered by a New York federal court to turn over raw footage from his 2009 documentary to the oil company Chevron. The directors sent a letter of support on Wednesday urging the Second Circuit Court to overturn Judge Lewis A. Kaplan's ruling.
Among the signatories are over 20 Academy winners...
The International Documentary Association and dozens of big-name filmmakers have sprung to the defense of "Crude" director Joe Berlinger.
Last week, Berlinger was ordered by a New York federal court to turn over raw footage from his 2009 documentary to the oil company Chevron. The directors sent a letter of support on Wednesday urging the Second Circuit Court to overturn Judge Lewis A. Kaplan's ruling.
Among the signatories are over 20 Academy winners...
- 5/12/2010
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
The IDA and a group of filmmakers that includes Academy Award winners and nominees have issued an open letter in support of Joe Berlinger, the director of Crude, and objecting to a judge's ruling that Chevron could subpoena Mr. Berlinger's footage from his film.
Read about the developing story in the La Times here.
And now the letter in its entirety:
May 12, 2010
An open letter in support of Joe Berlinger and the documentary filmmaking team of "Crude"
As members of the documentary film community, we the undersigned strongly ...
Read about the developing story in the La Times here.
And now the letter in its entirety:
May 12, 2010
An open letter in support of Joe Berlinger and the documentary filmmaking team of "Crude"
As members of the documentary film community, we the undersigned strongly ...
- 5/12/2010
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
A ruling by a federal court judge in a case involving Chevron's environmental disaster in the Amazon could lead to documentary filmmakers and investigative journalists dumping their unused footage and notes in order to avoid having them seized, said the filmmaker's attorney. Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger must hand over to Chevron more than 600 hours of video taped during the filming of Crude, a federal judge ruled Thursday in Manhattan, a ruling that bodes ill for filmmakers and investigative journalists. The award-winning 2009 movie chronicled the $27 billion lawsuit against Chevron, an attempt to bring restitution to hundreds of communities in the Ecuadorean Amazon devastated by contamination from the company's operations in the region. Berlinger has argued that the footage is protected under the First Amendment and that he had promised confidentiality to his sources. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan responded that...
- 5/10/2010
- by Tracy L. Barnett
- Huffington Post
In an alarming development, Joe Berlinger may become an unwilling participant in the very lawsuit he chronicled in his latest documentary, Crude. A United States district court judge has ruled that Berlinger must turn over 600 hours of footage to Chevron, owner of Texaco, the oil giant that Amazon rainforest dwellers accuse of polluting their environment with billions of gallons of toxic waste. Only about 1 percent of the footage was used in Berlinger's film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009, and was released in theaters last fall. Berlinger's lawyer plans to appeal, and says the decision "threatens grave harm to documentary filmmakers and investigative journalists." Casting news: Kristen Stewart has joined the cast of Walter Salles' On The Road, now set to begin shooting in August. She'll play Marylou, wife ...
- 5/7/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
As reported the The New York Times, a federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday ruled favor of Chevron in its bid to subpoena footage from filmmaker Joe Berlinger's 2009 documentary Crude, which chronicles a lawsuit filed by Ecuadorian residents against Chevron over the oil company's involvement in the contamination of the local water supply. 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 ...
- 5/7/2010
- by twhite
- International Documentary Association
By Brent Lang
Chevron's subpoena for outtakes from the documentary "Crude" was granted by a New York federal court judge on Thursday.
In granting the oil company access to the raw footage, Judge Lewis Kaplan shot down director Joe Berlinger's claims that the footage was protected by the First Amendment.
Released in 2009, "Crude" documents oil and toxic waste contamination in the Amazon rainforest left over from when Texaco, which was acquired by C...
Chevron's subpoena for outtakes from the documentary "Crude" was granted by a New York federal court judge on Thursday.
In granting the oil company access to the raw footage, Judge Lewis Kaplan shot down director Joe Berlinger's claims that the footage was protected by the First Amendment.
Released in 2009, "Crude" documents oil and toxic waste contamination in the Amazon rainforest left over from when Texaco, which was acquired by C...
- 5/6/2010
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
Company goes to court arguing that unused scenes from critical Amazon documentary may help it fight pollution claims
The oil giant Chevron is trying to force a filmmaker to hand over hundreds of hours of documentary footage about pollution in the Amazon in the latest twist in a multibillion dollar lawsuit.
The company wants to view unused material from the award-winning documentary Crude, about an environmental catastrophe in Ecuador's oil-producing Amazon region, to bolster its defence in one of the biggest lawsuits in history.
The 105-minute film sympathises with alleged victims of oil contamination but lawyers for Chevron hope 600 hours of raw footage shot over three years will include segments that could help them fend off potential damages of $27.3bn (£17.9bn).
The case has alarmed both environmentalists, who fear Chevron will get ammunition, and investigative filmmakers, who fear their integrity and ability to protect sources will be compromised.
Joe Berlinger,...
The oil giant Chevron is trying to force a filmmaker to hand over hundreds of hours of documentary footage about pollution in the Amazon in the latest twist in a multibillion dollar lawsuit.
The company wants to view unused material from the award-winning documentary Crude, about an environmental catastrophe in Ecuador's oil-producing Amazon region, to bolster its defence in one of the biggest lawsuits in history.
The 105-minute film sympathises with alleged victims of oil contamination but lawyers for Chevron hope 600 hours of raw footage shot over three years will include segments that could help them fend off potential damages of $27.3bn (£17.9bn).
The case has alarmed both environmentalists, who fear Chevron will get ammunition, and investigative filmmakers, who fear their integrity and ability to protect sources will be compromised.
Joe Berlinger,...
- 4/29/2010
- by Rory Carroll
- The Guardian - Film News
Campaigning documentary about scandals in Nicaragua. By Peter Bradshaw
Not the early Woody Allen classic, but a campaigning documentary from Swedish film-maker Fredrik Gertten. A new wave of class-action lawsuits is being taken out against the Dole Food Company, which for decades used controversial chemicals on their banana plantations in Nicaragua, causing sterility among male workers. The movie is very similar to Joe Berlinger's 2009 film Crude, about similar campaigns on behalf of Ecuadorean oil workers. Like Berlinger's movie, it allows the viewer to ponder the possibility that this is a lawyers' gold rush, but the employers' complacency and defensiveness tell their own story. It seems that Us corporations may be reaping a whirlwind of litigation from developing-world communities in Latin America for years to come, and like the cigarette companies, they will fight it every step of the way. What a prospect.
Rating: 3/5
DocumentaryNicaraguaPeter Bradshaw
guardian.co.uk © Guardian...
Not the early Woody Allen classic, but a campaigning documentary from Swedish film-maker Fredrik Gertten. A new wave of class-action lawsuits is being taken out against the Dole Food Company, which for decades used controversial chemicals on their banana plantations in Nicaragua, causing sterility among male workers. The movie is very similar to Joe Berlinger's 2009 film Crude, about similar campaigns on behalf of Ecuadorean oil workers. Like Berlinger's movie, it allows the viewer to ponder the possibility that this is a lawyers' gold rush, but the employers' complacency and defensiveness tell their own story. It seems that Us corporations may be reaping a whirlwind of litigation from developing-world communities in Latin America for years to come, and like the cigarette companies, they will fight it every step of the way. What a prospect.
Rating: 3/5
DocumentaryNicaraguaPeter Bradshaw
guardian.co.uk © Guardian...
- 4/15/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
In 1922, a man by the name of Albert Barnes opened up a small art museum in a Pennsylvania suburb putting on display his personal collection, which contained 800 paintings, in total thought to be worth around six billion dollars. The new documentary The Art of the Steal tells the story of “the worst art theft since World War II,” as art purists fight to keep the legendary works out of the grasps of museums that may be more focused on tourism than presentation.
A Philadelphia native, Don Argott has directed a fascinating film about art’s true value, especially when tourism forces itself into the equation. I sat down with him at Chicago’s theWit hotel to discuss his film, what Philadelphia has had to say about the project, and much more.
The Art of the Steal opens in Chicago on March 12, 2010.
Is there a way to keep popular art in...
A Philadelphia native, Don Argott has directed a fascinating film about art’s true value, especially when tourism forces itself into the equation. I sat down with him at Chicago’s theWit hotel to discuss his film, what Philadelphia has had to say about the project, and much more.
The Art of the Steal opens in Chicago on March 12, 2010.
Is there a way to keep popular art in...
- 3/10/2010
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
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