‘Presumed Guilty,‘ controversial documentary that exposes illegal practices by Swiss banks, to open in Switzerland and U.S., will screen at Cannes Film Festival

Producers: Multiple requests to screen film at law schools, universities following win for Best Documentary Feature at International Movie Awards Documentary invites participation from United Nations Peace University to showcase film to complement curriculum Film producers seek input from members of U.S. Congress on the film and the Swiss banking system
(PR NewsChannel) / April 13, 2016 / LOS ANGELES 

“Presumed PRESUMED GUILTY VIDEO SCREEN SHOTGuilty,” the award-winning, controversial U.S. produced documentary that exposes illegal practices by Swiss banks and their aggressive campaigns that target foreign nationals, will open  in Switzerland and the U.S., and will screen at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France, Sugar Studios, the film’s producers, announced today.

“The strong reactions we’ve had to this film already in pre-launch has been really astonishing,” says Jijo Reed, the Los Angeles-based director. “We’ve touched a nerve and exposed a real vulnerability in Swiss banking. We expect especially sharp reaction in Switzerland. It’s the truth and sometimes that’s hard to hear.”

The bold documentary tells the story of banking corruption in Switzerland and the country’s efforts to prosecute prominent individuals in an effort to win international credibility.

The documentary, which won an award for Best Documentary Feature at the International Film Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia last month, gets to the truth behind accusations against former coal mining executives convicted in 2013 of siphoning and laundering money through Swiss bank accounts, and examines a “witch hunt” by the Swiss authorities led to a prosecution of innocents littered with mistakes and prosecutorial negligence.

“Since that win in Jakarta, we’ve been getting requests to screen the film at law schools and universities,” says Jijo Reed, director of the Sugar Studios film. “It’s a testament to the film and its strong journalism. It is touching a nerve even before it officially opens.”


(Watch the trailer on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=N71D1HZQ9Y)

‘Presumed Guilty’ is currently collaborating with the University for Peace (UPEACE), on how the film can be leveraged as part of curriculum. UPEACE was created by United Nations mandate.

“It’s easy to see how a film like this could be used as part of the studies at the Department of International Law, which teaches on Human Rights and International Law,” says Fred Lebed, who serves as an advisor for UPEACE.

The film has taken the rare step of inviting members of the U.S. Senate and House Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, including Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), to participate in a discussion of the film. The producers hope to open a dialogue and understanding of how the justice system is often misused or abused.

Durbin, a member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, has been an outspoken critic of Swiss bank accounts that are often used to hide assets.

“You either get a Swiss bank account to conceal what you’re doing, or you believe the Swiss franc is stronger than the American dollar,” Durbin said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” in 2012 in relation to then presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his Swiss bank account. “”When it comes down to his Swiss bank account, there’s just no way to explain it,” Durbin said.

Notes to Editors

The documentary’s trailer can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/N71-D1HZQ9Y

Produced and directed by the production company, Sugar Studios LA, “Presumed Guilty” seeks to establish a new feature length category for investigative cinematic journalism.
For further information contact:

U.S.A. and Europe

Adam Farragut, The Publicity Agency
(813) 708-1220 x7778

Direct link:  https://prnewschannel.com/2016/04/13/presumed-guilty-controversial-documentary-that-exposes-illegal-practices-by-swiss-banks-to-open-in-switzerland-and-u-s-will-screen-at-cannes-film-festival/

SOURCE:  Presumed Guilty Movie


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