Chicago 10

Sunday January 25, 2009 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network

Chicago 10 mixes bold animation with extraordinary archival footage to explore the build-up to and unraveling of the Chicago Conspiracy Trial in 1968. Set to the music of revolution, then and now, Chicago 10 is a parable of hope, the story of young Americans speaking out and taking a stand in the face of a heavily armed police force.

The film features the voices of actors Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Roy Scheider, Liev Schreiber, and Jeffrey Wright in an animated re-enactment of the trial based on transcripts and rediscovered audio recordings. It also contains archive footage of David Dellinger, Abbie Hoffman, William Kunstler, Jerry Rubin, Bobby Seale, and Leonard Weinglass, and of the protest and riot itself. The title is drawn from a quote by Rubin, who said, "Anyone who calls us the Chicago Seven is a racist. Because you're discrediting Bobby Seale. You can call us the Chicago Eight, but really we're the Chicago Ten, because our two lawyers went down with us."

Archival footage from the 1968 Democratic National Convention

At the 1968 Democratic National Convention, anti-Vietnam War protestors who were denied permits for demonstrations repeatedly clashed with the Chicago Police Department. Tensions mounted, and an already fraught week culminated in riots broadcast live to a television audience of more than 50 million, polarizing the nation.

Animated shot of defendants Abbie Hoffman and Bobby Seale (background)

Needing to find a scapegoat for the riots, the U.S. Government held eight of the most vocal activists accountable for the violence and brought them to trial a year later. The defendants represented a broad cross-section of the anti-war movement, from counter-culture icons Abbie Hoffman (voiced by Hank Azaria) and Jerry Rubin (Mark Ruffalo) to renowned pacifist David Dellinger (Dylan Baker). Seven of the defendants were represented by Leonard Weinglass and famed liberal attorney William Kunstler (voiced by Liev Schreiber), who went head-to-head with prosecution attorney Thomas Foran (Nick Nolte). The eighth defendant, Bobby Seale (Jeffrey Wright), co-chair of the Black Panther Party, insisted on defending himself and was bound, gagged and handcuffed to his chair by Judge Julius Hoffman (Roy Scheider). From the start, the trial was a circus with the eight defendants on a collision course with the governmental authority.

Chicago 10's unique and unconventional style uses motion-capture animation to portraying the explosive build-up to-and the eventual unraveling of-the Chicago Conspiracy Trial. Directed, written & produced by Brett Morgan for Participant Productions, Chicago 10 premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.