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Aaron Sorkin's 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' Is a Riveting Political Drama at the Virtual KCET Cinema Series on Oct. 16

October 12, 2020
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Q&A immediately following with award-winning director and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.

It was intended to be a peaceful protest against the Vietnam War at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It transformed into a violent clash between protesters and Chicago police and National Guard troops. In one of the most notorious and riveting trials in American history, the federal government charged seven protest organizers of conspiracy to incite a riot and other charges. The film’s ensemble cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale, as well as Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Carroll Lynch, and Mark Rylance.

"The Trial of the Chicago 7" began nearly 13 years ago when writer and director Aaron Sorkin was invited to the home of Steven Spielberg to discuss a project the legendary director had in mind for Sorkin to write. “Steven told me he really wanted to make a movie about this crazy conspiracy trial that happened in Chicago in 1969, and I said, ‘Wow, I’ve wanted to write a movie about this crazy conspiracy trial that happened in Chicago in 1969 for a long time. Count me in,’” Sorkin recalls. “As soon as I got in my car I called my father, and said, ‘Dad, was there a crazy conspiracy trial that happened in Chicago in 1969?’ I didn’t know anything about it.”

Sorkin focused his script on telling three stories at once: The courtroom drama of the trial itself; the evolution of the riot and the ways in which a peaceful demonstration can quickly turn violent; and the story of Tom Hayden and Abbie Hoffman, two men cut from very different ideological cloths, yet forever bound by their goals and the experiences they shared in 1968 and 69.

Immediately following the screening, Deadline’s chief film critic Pete Hammond, who can also be seen on KCET’s Must See Movies, will moderate a Q&A with award-winning director and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin

The film screens on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. PDT. Only $10 per viewing link. Limited space available.

To sign up, click here.

Deadline to register for the screening is Wednesday, October 14th at 3:00 p.m.

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