watch trailer

RICOCHET

Directed by Chihiro Wimbush, Jeff Adachi

Day 2 - Screening 4
USA
English
78 mins
Sacramento premiere

Directed by Jeff Adachi and Chihiro Wimbush

RICOCHET TELLS THE STORY of the historic trial following the tragic incident at Pier 14 in San Francisco–when a young woman named Kate Steinle was killed by the ricochet of a bullet accidentally fired by an undocumented immigrant, José Ines García Zaraté. The incident sparked a political and media firestorm–spearheaded by the anti-immigrant rhetoric of presidential candidate Donald J. Trump–that rattled the nation, exploited the tragedy of a family, and demonized an innocent man in the process. Against this backdrop, RICOCHET follows the ensuing trial.

The defense is led by a team from the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office featuring Chief Attorney Matt Gonzalez and Francisco Ugarte, Managing Attorney of their Immigration Defense Unit. They must overcome not only the prosecution in this case, but also the court of public opinion warped by political agendas and false media narratives.

The work of Gonzalez and Ugarte on this case is overseen by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi.

After Jeff Adachi’s sudden passing in 2019, the film’s Editor Chihiro Wimbush stepped up to co-direct and complete the film much to the gratitude of Jeff’s family, film community, and those who follow stories of Justice and Courage.

Jeff Adachi headshot

A native Sacramentan, Jeff Adachi was not only the Chief Public Defender for the City and County of San Francisco, but was a social justice advocate, filmmaker, and friend of the Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival. Of Jeff’s other works, SAPFF has previously screened DEFENDER, RACIAL FACIAL, THE RIDE, and THE SLANTED SCREEN: ASIAN MEN IN FILM & TELEVISION, which served as a the featured presentation for SLATE 1.0, SAPFF’s inaugural screening event on May

Co-presented in partnership with Nichi Bei Foundation