ricochet
the path to justice is not a straight line
Streamed July 21, 2022
Watch the post-screening Q&A with Chihiro Wimbush, Matt Gonzalez,
Francisco Ugarte, Gina Dacus and Barbara Attard
WHEN A YOUNG WOMAN IS SHOT by an undocumented immigrant on Pier 14 in San Francisco, the incident ignites a political and media furor that culminates in Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States. In the eye of this storm, two public defenders fight to reveal the truth.
Director/Producer
JEFF ADACHI envisioned RICOCHET as an episode of a series (called DEFENDER) of independent films that shines a light on the work of public defenders fighting the injustices of the legal system. Jeff served as the elected Public Defender of the City and County of San Francisco from 2002-2019 and worked as a deputy public defender and Chief Attorney in San Francisco for 15 years prior to his election. His office provided legal representation to over 20,000 people each year, mostly of color. Through his legal work and activism, Jeff was a strong advocate for the civil rights of all Americans.
Director/Producer/Editor
CHIHIRO WIMBUSH is an Emmy-nominated, documentary filmmaker. Chihiro was co-director (with Amir Soltani) and cinematographer on the documentary feature, DOGTOWN REDEMPTION, about homeless shopping cart recyclers in West Oakland, California. The film premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival where it won an Audience Award, and was broadcast on Independent Lens, before being nominated for an Emmy Award. Chihiro and his wife Meena Srinivasan won the “Spirit of Bernal” award at the 2015 Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema for their documentary, TOUCHING THE UNTOUCHABLES. RICOCHET is his third collaboration with Jeff Adachi after serving as editor on Jeff’s previous two films THE RIDE and DEFENDER.
FRANCISCO UGARTE manages the Immigration Defense Unit at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, which formed in 2017 and is now California’s largest detained deportation defense provider. He represented José Inez García Zárate in state court as co-counsel.
MATT GONZALEZ is Chief Attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office a position he has held for more than a decade. He represented José Inez García Zárate as co-counsel in state court.
For the past 10 years, GINA DACUS has served as the Executive Director for Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. She oversees affordable housing development, community services for seniors, adults and youth and works on various organizing efforts through the organization’s leadership, Board of Directors and city-wide collaborations. BHNC has provided services for more than 40 years and offers programming at their housing sites and their two neighborhood centers located in Bernal Heights and the Excelsior.
BARBARA ATTARD is a Bernal Heights resident and a consultant specializing in police accountability. Her work includes development of independent oversight programs that ensure fairness and transparency as well as authoring publications on investigations, oversight, and mediation. She worked for 15 years for the City of San Francisco in the Office of Citizen Complaints (now the Department of Police Accountability).
Another chance to see RICOCHET August 28, 2022
SF Social & Economic Justice Film Festival