Appeals court in NYC: Filmmaker must give Chevron outtakes from Ecuadoreans and lawyers

NY judges limit what filmmaker must give Chevron

NEW YORK — A federal appeals court in New York has limited the amount of raw footage a filmmaker must release from his documentary about a legal fight between Chevron and Ecuadoreans over oil contamination.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announced in an order Thursday that filmmaker Joseph Berlinger must turn over only some raw footage from the documentary “Crude.”

A judge previously ordered Berlinger to turn over all 600 hours of raw footage he used to make the film, which came out last year. Berlinger appealed the order and arguments were heard Wednesday.

The appeals court said Berlinger must turn over footage showing lawyers for Ecuadoreans, private or court-appointed experts and current or former Ecuadorean officials.