Crude

The documentary is about the lawsuit brought by tens of thousands of Ecuadorans against Chevron. The case concerns contamination of the Ecuadorean Amazon. The film follows the process from the plaintiffs’ side, staying with their lawyers. The shooting was spread over years and the proceedings are shown step by step. The film itself later became part of the case. Chevron went to court to obtain six hundred hours of outtakes. A United States court denied the director’s claim of press privilege; the ruling noted that the plaintiffs’ lawyer had solicited the film and that a scene had been cut at their request. Today the documentary is argued over both for its subject and for how it was made. Joe Berlinger’s hundred and five minute American documentary was completed in 2009.