Aaron Sorkin received his first Golden Globes Best Director nomination for “The Trial of the Chicago 7” on Wednesday, and the filmmaker is “thrilled” about the recognition from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
“I’m going to speak on behalf of everyone at ‘Chicago 7’ — we are really thrilled with the support of the HFPA, it means a lot to us and we are humbled to be in the same category as the other nominees,” he told TheWrap. “This film has been in 15 years in the making, and it couldn’t have come out at a better time. I’ve been asked since the film’s release if I made any changes to reflect changes in the world, and I didn’t. Events in the world changed to reflect what was going on in the film. The zeitgeist crashed right into us. It didn’t need to get more relevant, but it did, concluding January 6 with Trump doing exactly what the Chicago 7 were on trial for.”
Sorkin is referring to former President Trump tweeting on January 6 that there will be a “big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” The Chicago 7 were a group of anti-Vietnam War protesters who were charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
“I hope people see the film and they feel good at the end of it, that they just feel a bit taller, that they have respect for these people and have a respect for protest, and mostly, I hope they have a good time for two hours,” Sorkin added.
Sorkin was previously nominated at the Globes seven times in the Best Screenplay category, in which he also received a nomination this year. While he is grateful for every nomination he said the one for “Chicago 7” feels a little different. “It feels great and I know it felt great when I was nominated in the past,” he said. “But there is something about the struggle and how steep the climb was to get this film made that makes it so much more satisfying.”
Sorkin was nominated in the Best Director category this year alongside Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”). In the Best Screenplay category, he competes with Jack Fincher (“Mank”), Fennell, Zhao and Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton (“The Father”).
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” was also nominated in the category Best Supporting Actor (Sacha Baron Cohen), Best Original Song and best Motion Picture Drama.
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