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‘The People’s Advocate’ to Premiere
at Mill Valley Film Festival
 MILL VALLEY, Calif.—The 30th annual Mill Valley Film
Festival will feature the world premiere of “The People’s
Advocate: The Life & Times of Charles R. Garry.” The feature
length documentary chronicles the gripping story of one of
the 20th century’s most influential civil rights attorneys,
Charles Garry (1909-91), an Armenian-American who gained
national prominence during the 1960s for his defense of
notorious anti-establishment icons.
Remembered as the “defender of the despised,” lawyer Charles
Garry’s clientele list read like a who’s who of the civil
rights and anti-war movements of the turbulent 1960s. His
most famous clients—Huey P. Newton and the leadership of the
Black Panther Party—counted on his unique courtroom style
and unparalleled legal approach to free them of an array of
serious charges leveled by the government. “The People’s
Advocate” recounts Garry’s inspirational story by weaving
powerful interviews with rare archival footage of him and
his times. Among the film’s interviewees are famed historian
Howard Zinn, and Black Panther leaders Bobby Seale, Kathleen
Cleaver, David Hilliard and Ericka Huggins.
The documentary also features a candid interview with
Stephan Jones, son of Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones, who
orchestrated the deaths of over 900 of his followers in
Jonestown, Guyana, on Nov. 18, 1978. Garry, who was
attracted to the Temple’s philosophy and teachings, agreed
to serve as Jones’ attorney during the year preceding the
incident. His involvement would prove to be the most tragic
episode of his life, as detailed vividly within “The
People’s Advocate.”
The film will debut on Sat., Oct. 6, when it screens at the
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael as
part of this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival program. The
film will also be shown at CineArts @ Sequoia in Mill Valley
on Mon., Oct. 8.
Both screenings are co-presented by the San Francisco
Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and the Bay Area Video
Coalition.
“The People’s Advocate,” which is Los Angeles-based director
Hrag Yedalian’s first film, is the recipient of the 2007 Bay
Area Video Coalition Mediamaker Award. Executive producer
Carrie Lozano previously produced the Academy
Award-nominated documentary “The Weather Underground,” and
directed the documentary short “Reporter Zero,” which
premiered at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival.
The film features an original score by LA-based trio The
Apex Theory that was composed in collaboration with
Cinemasque Music.
Named by Screen International as a top 10 U.S. film
festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival was founded in 1978
and offers a high-profile, prestigious and non-competitive
environment for celebrating the best in independent and
world cinema. More information about this year’s festival
and detailed screening information for “The People’s
Advocate” can be found at www.mvff.com.
A film synopsis, filmmaker biographies and a promotional
trailer for “The People’s Advocate” can be accessed by
visiting www.peoplesadvocatethemovie.com.
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