According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, a Mexican appellate court reversed a federal judge's decision to pull from theaters the documentary Presumed Guilty. The film, which earned an IDA/Humanitas Award in 2010 for directors Roberto Hernandez and Geoffrey Smith and producer Layda Negrette, which tells the story of two young lawyers and their struggle to free an innocent man accused of murder. Presumed Guilty aired on PBS' POV series and is distributed in the US by Icarus Films.
As previously reported here, one of the subjects in the film--a key prosecution witness-had filed a lawsuit claiming that his appearance in the film was a violation of his right to privacy. The filmmakers and other personnel attached to the film counter that he had been filmed in a public setting, at a public trial, so permissions were not needed.
Prior to the film's suspension, Presumed Guilty had pulled in $3.6 million at the box office-a commendable performance by US standards, and a record-breaking one for a Mexican documentary. The outcry against the judge's decision from many quarters should spur even greater ticket sales when the film returns to the theaters.