Union League Club of Chicago Hosts “The Response Screening”: A Look at The Guantanamo Bay Military Tribunals

On Thursday, April 22, 2010, the Public Affairs Committee of The Union League Club of Chicago will be hosting a screening of The Response, a 30-minute film documenting the U.S. military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Response takes the audience inside the military tribunals to provide an insider’s view of the courtroom drama surrounding the Guantanamo Bay hearings.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion. The film’s viewpoint will be represented by Sig Libowitz, the film’s writer and producer, and Peter Riegert, an actor in The Response and other films including Star, Animal House, Local Hero, and The Sopranos. Gary Isaac, a Chicago attorney with Mayer Brown who has personally been involved in Guantanamo litigation, will speak to some of the legal aspects of the military tribunals. Major General (Retired) Charles E. Tucker (USAF), the Executive Director of the International Human Rights Law Institute, will also provide his unique insight into the Guantanamo Bay tribunals.

Registration for the event starts at 4:00 p.m., with the screening beginning promptly at 4:30 p.m., followed by the panel discussion at 5:00 p.m. Tickets can be reserved by phone at (312) 435-5946. Payment may be made at the door by cash or check ($15) payable to the Union League Club of Chicago (65 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois). All cancellations are due by noon on Wednesday, April 21, 2010. Please be advised that the dress code for The Response screening is business casual.

The Response was produced by Look at the Moon Productions in association with the University of Maryland School of Law and Venable LLP. This courtroom drama is based on the actual transcripts of the Guantanamo Bay military tribunals. In the same vein as Twelve Angry Men, the film focuses on the trial of a suspected enemy combatant and three military judges who must decide his fate. This critically-acclaimed film won the American Bar Association’s 2009 Silver Gavel Award as best of the year in Drama & Literature and was “Shortlisted for the 2010 Academy Awards® – best live action short film”.

Chicago attorney Bob Kreisman is a member of the Chicago Union League Public Affairs Committee and an avid civil rights supporter. Kreisman Law Offices handles Illinois personal injury lawsuits for those areas in and around Cook County, including Evanston, Naperville, Oak Park, and Calumet City.