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Presumed Guilty
POV Season 23
Feature Film | 07/26/2010 | 60 Mins

Imagine being picked up off the street, told you have committed a murder you know nothing about and then finding yourself sentenced to 20 years in jail. In December 2005 this happened to Toño Zúñiga in Mexico City and, like thousands of other innocent people, he was wrongfully imprisoned. The award-winning Presumed Guilty is the story of two young lawyers and their struggle to free Zúñiga. With no background in film, Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete set about recording the injustices they were witnessing, enlisting acclaimed director Geoffrey Smith (The English Surgeon, POV 2009) to tell this dramatic story. Winner, 2011 News & Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding Investigative Journalism–Long Form. A co-presentation with Latino Public Broadcasting.

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POV believes in the power of film to engage communities in dialogue around the most pressing social issues of our time. Use one of the film’s accompanying resources to learn about the issues and get involved. Visit the POV Community Network to browse films available for screenings.

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Film Credits —

  • Geoffrey Smith Geoffrey Smith
  • Layda Negrete Layda Negrete
  • Roberto Hernández Roberto Hernández
A film by Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete