- A new documentary about misconduct allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh premiered Friday.
- The film was a last-minute addition to Sundance and was kept under wraps until Thursday.
- The filmmakers said they received new tips about Kavanaugh right after the film was announced.
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The filmmakers said more tips were received following a surprise announcement that a documentary focusing on sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh would premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Programmers at the indie film festival, held annually in Park City, Utah, announced Thursday that director Doug Liman’s film “Justice” will be screened Friday night. The film focuses on allegations originally made against Kavanaugh in 2018 when he was nominated for the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump.
The film revealed additional details on allegations against Kavanaugh. It covers incidents alleged by accusers, including Christine Blasey Ford, who testified before Congress in 2018, and Deborah Ramirez, a former classmate of Kavanaugh at Yale.
The film also provides new details on allegations about a separate incident at Yale involving another woman, not named, who declined to be a part of the film. These allegations were brought to the FBI by another Yale alumnus, Max Stier, during his investigation of Kavanaugh — more than 4,500 leads were given to the FBI, according to the film, with the most credible leads going to the White House.
The filmmakers acquired a recording in which Stier shared his memories of the incident, which forms one of the documentary’s most compelling segments. “This footage was just shielded and sent to the White House and never followed up, which to me was the film’s most shocking discovery,” Liman said during a post-screening Q&A session.
Liman, best known for directing films like Swingers and The Bourne Identity, answered questions about the film alongside Amy Herdy, his co-producer, who led the film’s investigative team.
“I thought the movie was done, but it looks like we’re not going home,” Liman said. “The team is staying tuned.”
When asked what he originally hoped for from the film — further investigation or other implications — Liman said what happens after the film is “so out of my control,” adding, “We live in a climate where , no matter what we put into this film , it’s likely that the people who support the status quo will continue to support it, and I’ve kind of come to the answer for myself: maybe the truth matters. It matters now, it will matter in the future, and maybe that’s it.”
That’s not enough for Herdy, she said. “I hope this sparks outrage, I hope this sparks action, I hope this sparks additional investigations with real subpoena powers.”
The filmmakers also said they kept the film a secret because they thought that exposure of their work could jeopardize their work. Liman cited “the machinery set up to prevent anyone from daring to speak out.” If the word was leaked, he added: “There would have been some sort of restraining order. This film would not have been shown here.”
Herdy said that even code names were used for the subjects and that everyone who worked on the film or was interviewed by the filmmakers signed a non-disclosure agreement.
The filmmakers interviewed approximately 20 people, including Blasey Ford’s current and teenage friends, friends of Ramirez, journalists and psychologists, who described the characteristics and effects of traumatic memories. Blasey Ford speaks briefly with Liman at the beginning of the film and there are lengthy, emotional interviews with Ramirez.
Liman’s interest in his first documentary arose, he said, in 2018 during congressional hearings prior to Kavanaugh’s confirmation. He previously told the Hollywood Reporter that “the Supreme Court, which is sacred to all of us, has a special meaning to me.” His father, Arthur L. Liman, was a well-known attorney and activist, and his brother Lewis was a former Supreme Court clerk and is now a federal judge in the Southern District of New York.
The film is seeking a distributor, but as Liman and Herdy revealed Saturday, it could still expand as they continue to investigate the new tips they’ve received.