2010 / USA / 93 mins / Dir. Yoav Potash

UK PREMIERE

This superbly constructed documentary follows an emotional roller coaster as ‘pro bono’ lawyers Joshua Safran and Nadia Costa endeavour to find justice for the plaintiff Deborah Peagler, imprisoned for over a quarter of a century. In 1983 Peagler, a woman brutally abused by her boyfriend, was sentenced to a minimum of ‘25 years to life’ for her connection to his murder. When a new penal code was introduced in California 20 years later, it finally looked possible to review Peagler’s case and so began a six-year legal battle.

The shocking statistic at the core of Potash’s gripping documentary is that 80% of women in prisons in the US are survivors of some form of rape, abuse or domestic violence.

Safran, Costa and Peagler make an unusual trio, but their combined strengths are a unique blend of emotional intelligence and integrity that makes for compelling viewing, which overshadows many traditional fictional crime dramas.

Official Selection: Sundance Film Festival 2011
Audience Choice Award and Golden Gate Award (Investigative Documentary Feature): San Francisco International Film Festival 2011