William Kunstler Disturbs The Universe

By Marcus Gilmer in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 20, 2010 7:40PM

We've all had issues with our parents. It's a rite of passage. But what if your father was Civil Rights activist and "radical lawyer" William Kunstler, who defended some of the most notorious figures of the the second half of the twentieth century: the Chicago Seven (originally the Chicago Eight), members of the Weather Underground, the Attica Prison rioters, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombers? What if your father was the man the New York Times called, "The most hated and most loved lawyer in America"? That's what William's daughters, filmmakers Emily and Sarah Kunstler, explore with their new documentary Disturbing The Universe, which shows this weekend at the Siskel Film Center. The film not only focuses on Kunstler's career - including the Chicago Seven trial via interviews with defendants Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale, local Yippie activist Nancy Kurshan, and trial juror Jean Fritz - but on Kunstler's family life as well and his relationship with his daughters.

The doc begins a week-long run at the Siskel this Friday but if you want to find out even more about Kunstler and the film, you're in luck: Emily and Sarah will be in town this weekend to do a special Q&A session after the 7:45 p.m. screenings on Friday (Jan. 22) and Saturday (Jan. 23).

For more reading on Disturbing the Universe and the Kunstler family, check out this excellent interview Emily and Sarah did with our sister site Gothamist.

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, January 22 - January 28, times vary, Q&A session with Emily and Sarah Kunstler follow 7:45 screenings on January 22 and 23, Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., $10 available via Ticketmaster