It is to commemorate the anniversary of the Trial of the Chicago 7 sentencing.
Initially released in September 2020, Netflix's drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 has seen some tremendous critical acclaim, with a score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been nominated for five awards at the Golden Globes - including Best Picture - with many pundits anticipating a similar round of nominations come Oscar time.
An all-star cast told the story of what was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The organisers of the protest - including Abbie Hoffman , Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale - were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history.
Speaking of the anniversary, writer/director Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball, Steve Jobs) had this to say:
"Since my initial introduction fourteen years ago, my relationship to the story of The Trial of the Chicago 7 has changed significantly. When we began shooting last winter, we knew the story we were telling was not only an important chapter of American history, but was plenty relevant to current events. We certainly didn’t need it to get more relevant, but it did.
"To commemorate the anniversary of the verdict in this historic trial, we’ve made the film available on YouTube for 48 hours starting Friday, February 19, remembering the real patriots who inspired a generation - actually, generations - to take to the streets and uphold the foundations of our US Constitution, along with the courageous voices that continue to do so today. It’s our honour to share their story with the world."
The movie will be available for 48 hours on Netflix's YouTube channel here, from 8am tomorrow (Friday, February 19) morning until 7.59am on Sunday, February 21.
