“The Trial of the Chicago 7” has been selected for the inaugural ensemble tribute by the Independent Filmmaker Project at the upcoming Gotham Awards on Jan. 11, 2021.
The film, directed by Aaron Sorkin from his own script, follows the story of the Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters who were charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The film began streaming on Netflix in October.
The ensemble cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale, Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, Michael Keaton as Ramsey Clark, John Carroll Lynch as defendant David Dellinger, Alex Sharp as defendant Rennie Davis and Frank Langella as presiding judge Julius Hoffman. Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays Fred Hampton, Caitlin Fitzgerald portrays FBI agent Daphne O’Connor, Alice Kremelberg plays Bernardine Dohrn and Ben Shenkman portrays Leonard Weinglass. Joseph Gordon-Levitt played Richard Schultz, assistant federal prosecutor.
“For our 30th anniversary, we are proud to introduce a new tribute honor, recognizing excellence in an ensemble cast,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of IFP. “Starting this year and in the years to come, we look to celebrate a film that demonstrates the collaborative nature of a group performance and the effect that it has in elevating each individual, and the overall story. Each cast member of ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ delivers an intricate and powerful performance, and we are delighted to celebrate them and their cumulative achievement.”
The awards show will be presented live from Cipriani Wall Street New York in a hybrid format in order to follow health and safety protocols brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was previously announced that Chadwick Boseman will receive the posthumous actor tribute, Viola Davis the actress tribute, Steve McQueen the director’s tribute, and Ryan Murphy the industry tribute.