PBS will kick off the new season of its Emmy-winning Independent Lens series with the award-winning animated documentary Chicago 10. The latest film from Brett Morgan (The Kid Stays in the Picture) will make its broadcast premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. Independent Lens is hosted by Oscar-winning actor Terrence Howard, who recently dropped out of Iron Man 2.
Combining motion-capture animation with extraordinary archival footage, Chicago 10 explores the buildup to, and unraveling of, the Chicago Conspiracy Trial stemming from the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention, during which antiwar protesters fought for their right to be heard. Eight of the most vocal activists were charged and brought to trial in a courtroom circus that pitted activism against the establishment. Key characters include Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, defense attorney William Kunstler, SDS defendant Tom Hayden and Yippies Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman, who served as court jesters. The animated reenactments feature the voices of Hank Azaria, Mark Ruffalo, James Urbaniak, Jeffrey Wright, Liev Schreiber, Nick Nolte and Roy Scheider, among others.
Director/writer/producer Brett Morgen earned an Academy Award nomination for The Kid Stays in the Picture, his biographical portrayal of the life and career of legendary film producer and studio head Robert Evans. Morgen’s credits also include the critically acclaimed boxing documentary On the Ropes. Chicago 10 was named Best Documentary of 2002 by the International Press Academy (the Golden Satellite Award), the Boston Film Critics and the Seattle Film Critics, and was named runner-up in that category by the National Society of Film Critics.
