Last month, I blogged here about an important case currently in play in U.S. courts involving the independence of artists.  On May 6, 2010, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered filmmaker Joe Berlinger to turn over to Chevron Corporation all raw footage -- some 600 hours -- 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. As I wrote, the potential ramifications of this for the journalist community, film world and society in general are both shocking and profound. Earlier this week, oral arguments began in the case. My colleague Amy Reiter posted an update:

Oral arguments begin today in the appeal of the Joe Berlinger/Chevron case, in which the oil behemoth is suing the filmmaker for all 600 hours of footage shot for his 2009 documentary CRUDE, about the company's legal battle with a group of Ecuadorians who accuse it of contaminating their land and water. On the eve of the big hearing, in which Berlinger is seeking to have overturned an order that he hand over the footage, two more prominent entities stepped forward to express their support for the filmmaker, further proving that the David in this David-and-Goliath legal struggle represents the interests and sympathies of many and is not exactly fighting the giant alone.

I have devoted a significant part of my life's work in support of the independent artist -- independent referring not to the size of a project, its funding or subject matter; rather, to the singular vision and voice of that artist. I founded Sundance Institute 30 years ago out of the belief that it is vital to ensure that the artist's voice remains vibrant, valued and heard in civil society at large. I emphasized those points in a recent interview with Fortune:

I think independent filmmakers, documentary filmmakers -- they are journalists. I'm not a lawyer, but I do know this: we need to protect our ability to tell controversial stories. More filmmakers are taking up this mantle. They are doing some of the best investigative journalism right now, as the line between journalism and entertainment is getting blurred.

Please continue to follow this case and support Joe and his film CRUDE, which will have its TV premiere on Sundance Channel in 2011.