BANANAS!*

Steve Condie is the lawyer representing the banana workers in the ongoing Tellez vs. Dole case. Fredrik Gertten met him this summer in Los Angeles inside LA Superiour Court and discussed what’s happening next in the case.

Monday afternoon, the filmmakers behind BANANAS!* celebrated at the Malmö office with friends and media. Just days ago, the LA Superiour Court decided to strike Dole’s lawsuit against the film and to grant the anti-SLAPP motion filed in defence by the filmmakers.
Read the full story here.

More photos from the celebration »
(link to WG Film’s Facebook page)

 

Congratulations from colleagues and friends:

"Fredrik, I’m happy to see that Dole will be required to reimburse your costs incurred in defending against the SLAPP suit they filed in an attempt to prevent you from showing your film, Bananas*.  Dole’s filing the SLAPP suit against you in a transparent attempt to suppress information about what that corporation has done in Central America was a major factor in convincing me to step in to defend the plaintiffs in the Tellez case.  I can only hope that your success will encourage more investigations so that more information can be brought to light about what really has happened in Nicaragua.

Dole’s scorched-earth tactic of attacking journalists, investigators and lawyers in an all-out effort to suppress the truth about what Dole and its agents have done in Central America has been frustrated by your courage in refusing to back down when attacked by an industry giant.     As Edmund Burke stated:  "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."  Keep up the good work!"

/Steve Condie
(The new lawyer who’s defending the affected workers in the Tellez case (the case featured in BANANAS!*).

 

"This is a remarkable victory for Swedish openness and democracy. Now, I hope the film’s message get the attention it deserves. As citizens, we can still influence the working conditions in poor countries and the ruthless exploitation of natural resources." (Our translation)

/Luciano Astudillo
(Ex Parliament member who arranged a screening of BANANAS!* in the Swedish parliament.)

 

US links:

Dole Hit With $200,000 Penalty Over Movie Lawsuit
Matthew Belloni
ABC News

Dole Slapped With $200K Ruling For Filing Documentary Lawsuit
Matthew Belloni
Hollywood Reporter

L.A. County judge orders Dole to pay filmmaker $200,000
Alan Zarembo
LA Times

Californian Judge Orders Dole to Pay Filmmaker $200,000
Associated Press
NY Times

 

Swedish links:

Kontroversiella Bananas!* kan visas i USA
Erik Ridderstolpe
Sveriges Radio, Ekot

Dole kan inte stämma Gertten fler gånger
Lisa Ovesen Botwid
Sydnytt, SVT

Filmen ”Bananas” vann Dole-rättegång
Erik Helmersson
Helsingborgs dagblad

Filmen ”Bananas” vann mot Dole
Erik Helmersson, Carina Jönsson, TT Spektra
Dagens nyheter

Gertten vann slutligen över Dole
Arvid Jurjaks
Sydsvenskan

Banankriget är över
Arvid Jurjaks
Sydsvenskan

Filmen ”Bananas” vann rättegång
Erik Helmersson, Carina Jönsson, TT Spektra
Svenska dagbladet

Fruit giant to dole out $200,000 over Bananas!* lawsuit
Vivian Tse
The Local

Dole-kritisk film kan visas i USA
Hannah McNeil
Nyhetskanalen, TV4

Hoover och jag
Johan Malmberg
Helsingborgs dagblad

Fredrik Gertten: ”Vi tog striden för andra filmare”
Paul Frigyes
Journalisten.se

WG Film vann över Dole
Susanne Roger
Filmnyheterna

Filmen BANANAS!* vann Dole-rättegång
Erik Helmersson/Carina Jönsson
TT Spektra

Gertten vann mot Dole
Realtid.se

 

Blogs

LA Judge Rules Dole Must Pay BANANAS!* Filmmakers for Wrongful Lawsuit
AJ Schnack
All these wonderful things (blog)

Yes, We Now Have BANANAS!* Judge Ralph Dau Rules in Favor of First Amendment and Filmmakers
moviesharkdeblore.com

En solskenshistoria: Grattis Gertten!
Mats Johansson, Member of Parliament, the Moderate Party

Så gav BANANAS!* Dole slutgiltigt på tafsen…
Alfonso Allende
Allende.se

Grattis Gertten!
Ethel Forsberg
U&W (You and We)