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‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ Submits Original Song for Oscars From Celeste and Composer Daniel Pemberton (Exclusive)

Variety has learned that a song from Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” titled “Hear My Voice,” will be submitted for best original song at the 93rd Academy Awards next April. It is performed by Celeste, who co-wrote the song with the film’s composer Daniel Pemberton. Celeste won the rising star award at the Brit Awards in 2019.

“Like anyone who makes art or desires change, we all want people to hear our voice,” Pemberton says in an email to Variety. “I am incredibly proud that together we’ve made a song with a strong, powerful and simple message at its heart. It feels as relevant to now as it does to the events in Chicago in 1969 and I’m very excited for the rest of the world to hear it.”

Pemberton, who has been nominated for three Golden Globe awards, including two for original score (“Steve Jobs” and “Motherless Brooklyn”) and one for original song (“Gold” from the 2016 film of the same name), has yet to maneuver his way to the Dolby Theatre. The British composer has also orchestrated acclaimed scores from “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Molly’s Game.” This marks Pemberton’s third involvement on a Sorkin project.

Celeste, who hails from Culver City, California, was predicted as the “number one breakthrough act of 2020” by the BBC and is gearing up to release a self-titled album in 2021.

“I am so grateful to be part of such an important and timely film,” Celeste says in an email to Variety. “Daniel Pemberton and I wanted to create a song that would be as meaningful, relevant and powerful as Aaron Sorkin’s film. He’s a true visionary and it really is an honor to contribute to this story.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which screens for a group of critics this evening, tells the story of the violent clash with police at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In what was intended to be a peaceful protest, the organizers Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and others, are charged with conspiracy to incite a riot, leading to one of the most notorious trials in history.

Sorkin, who won an Academy Award for “The Social Network” for best adapted screenplay, is taking a second shot in the director’s chair following “Molly’s Game.” The “Chicago 7” project has been circling Hollywood for over a decade, with Steven Spielberg being attached to it at one point.

The Netflix film also co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Mark Rylance, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. It’s also produced by two-time Oscar-nominee Marc Platt (“La La Land” and “Bridge of Spies”), Stuart Besser, Matt Jackson and Tyler Thompson.

“Hear My Voice” will be released closer to the film’s release. Netflix will release “The Trial of the Chicago 7” on its streaming platform on Oct. 16.

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