Lawyers for superstar Beyoncé were in court Thursday to dismiss a claim that she stole elements from a short film for a trailer to her blockbuster “Lemonade” video.
Kentucky-based independent filmmaker Matthew Fulks says the “Sorry” singer ripped off Palinoia, a short film he completed in 2014.
Fulks, in a lawsuit in Manhattan Federal Court, claims executives and people involved in “Lemonade” were aware of his work and had access to Palinoia.
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| Scene from Beyoncé video “Lemonade.” (HBO) |
Defendants include Sony Music, Columbia Recording and Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment.
But Beyoncé’s lawyer, Tom Ferber downplayed the comparisons, using more than a dozen side-by-side screen images from both works.
“The protagonist in plaintiff’s film is a white man who is distressed in the wake of a failed relationship, while the defendants’ protagonist is an African-American woman who progresses through stages of suspicion, denial, anger and, ultimately, reconciliation in her relationship,” Ferber said in a court motion.
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| A scene from Matthew Fulks’ short film “Palinoia”. Fulks claims that Beyonce’s trailer for “Lemonade” has visuals that are very similar to his film. (MATTHEW FULKS VIA YOUTUBE) |
Fulks says he was contacted by Columbia about an opportunity to direct a music video. Fulks said he sent executives links to his short film, and five months later, filming for “Lemonade” began.
