Presumed Guilty (2008)

Mexican documentary shot over three years following a wrongly convicted man, sentenced to 20 years in prison. The film is made by the two attorneys who champion his cause.

"What is it like to be picked up off the street, told you have committed a murder you know nothing about, and find yourself behind bars for 20 years? In December 2005 this happened to Toño Zuniga in Mexico City, and like thousands of other innocent young men he was condemned for a crime he had never committed. Presumed Guilty is the story of two young lawyers and their incredible struggle to free Toño. With no background in film, they set about recording his story as they realized that only a camera could reveal the institutionalised injustice they were witnessing. With unprecedented access to the Mexican court and prison systems, this is a searing indictment of a system where the police do not have to investigate because the system presumes guilt." (Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2009)

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