Roadside finds perfect ’10’

It was the opening doc at Sundance, and got a very mix reaction – the word was “too long”. The folks at Roadside Attractions see enough promise in Brett Morgen’s docu-feature and have picked up the distrib rights for a 2008 release. The issue of the runtime will be addressed as they plan to trim Chicago 10 to an appropriate length.
 
The doc explores the build-up and aftermath of the week-long anti-war demonstrations staged during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, during which protesters clashed with the Chicago Police Department and the National Guard. Following the protest, eight of the most vocal activists were held accountable for the violence and brought to trial in 1969. The defendants represented a broad cross-section of the anti-war movement, from counter-culture icons Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin to renowned pacifist David Dellinger. Seven of the defendants were represented by Leonard Weinglass and famed liberal attorney, William Kunstler, with the eighth defendant, Bobby Seale, co-chair of the Black Panther Party, who attempted to defend himself.