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Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival
"It took fourteen years to make The Trial of the Chicago 7 and I'm thankful for all of them. We thank the Academy for recognizing so much individual achievement this morning, but our biggest thanks is for including our film among the extraordinary movies nominated for Best Picture. We learned a lot of hard lessons last year, but a nice one was that people will find a way to go to the movies, even if they can only go as far as their living rooms. Chicago 7 is a very modern period piece. It takes place in 1968 but it's about today. It's a Valentine to the patriotism of protest, and to the courage of ordinary people who stand toe-to-toe with power. Jerry Rubin called the trial ‘the Academy Awards of protest.' Well this is the Academy Awards of Academy Awards, and it's an honor to be nominated."