FILM SYNOPSIS:

In December 2005, Toños Zuniga was picked up off the street of Mexico City and sentenced to 20 years for a murder he did not commit. A friend of Toño’s contacted two young lawyers, Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrette, who gained prominence in Mexico when they helped bring about the release of another innocent man from prison. Looking into Toño’s case, Roberto and Layda managed to get a retrial-on camera.

Shot over three years with unprecedented access to Mexican courts and prisons, this dramatic story is a searing indictment of a justice system in which innocence isn't assumed but must be established, and where basic legal logic and civil liberties take a backseat to the crooked self-interest of police officers, prosecutors, and judges. Won many prizes at festival around the world, including the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival Audience Award for best International Feature Documentary.

DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY:

Roberto Hernandez, lawyer by trade, filmmaker by heart. Found in film the perfect tool to shed light on the urgent change needed in the Mexican justice system. He has dedicated the last twelve years to research these issues. Presumed Guilty is Roberto’s first feature documentary film that coming from an academic is an unusual and happy marriage between the scientific and artistic discourse.

Geoffrey Smith, was born in Melbourne, Australia and was always drawn to observational real life dramas where deep ethical and moral dilemmas abound. For this reason he was attracted to the subject matter in Presumed Guilty, and worked with Roberto to help the film reach the widest possible audience. Winner of numerous awards, he has made over twenty-two films for major UK broadcasters.