THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

About the film: As a tropical storm beats down on an island in the Philippines, two sisters leave work and never make it home. Paco Larrañaga, a 19-year-old student, is sentenced to death for their rape and murder, despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence. Give Up Tomorrow exposes shocking corruption within the judicial system of the Philippines and one of the most sensational trials in the country's history. Two grieving mothers, entangled in a case that ends a nation's use of capital punishment but fails to free an innocent man, dedicate more than a decade to executing or saving him.

"Marty and I had been friends for a few years when his older brother, who is Paco's brother-in-law, asked for our help," says Michael. "I had heard that Paco was accused of murdering two women, but until his death sentence everyone in the family was embarrassed to talk about it. I retained some skepticism—until I read a letter from 35 'unheard witnesses,' which brought me to tears. Paco was my age, and over the years, while I had thrived, he had waited, unjustly condemned to execution, in a horrific gang-run prison."

Marty and Michael undertook considerable risk to make the film, even smuggling their camera and tapes into the dangerous Manila prison. Paco would bury the camera in the yard, and the filmmakers would carry the tapes out with them after each visit.

About the filmmakers: Director Michael Collins is the founder of Thoughtful Robot, a New York City-based production company committed to telling compelling social justice stories that galvanize change. In 2005 he directed Caught In an Injustice, a one-hour documentary broadcast on Spanish national television that received Special Mention of the Jury at the 15th International TV3/Actual Awards. In 2006 he completed Life Is a Celebration, a short film that followed a group of New Yorkers traveling to India to attend the world's largest spiritual gathering. In 2010, his short film Gerthy's Roots, about a community driven reforestation initiative in Haiti, was granted the Mandela Day Tribeca All Access Award. Give Up Tomorrow marks his directorial feature film debut. Collins graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor of arts degree from its College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Originally from the Philippines, Producer Marty Syjuco moved to New York City in 2000 and worked at USA Films and Focus Features, where he booked the theatrical releases of independent, commercial and Oscar-winning films. In 2004 he took a leap of faith to pursue his passion: documentary filmmaking. In 2005, he co-produced the documentary Caught In an Injustice (directed by Michael Collins), which was broadcast on Canal Cuatro on Spanish national television. The evolution of the story and the acclaim the film received in Spain spurred him to expand it into a feature-length documentary. He spent the next six years in production on Give Up Tomorrow. Syjuco graduated from De La Salle University in Manila, with a bachelor of science in business administration.

About POV

Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and celebrating its 25th anniversary on PBS in 2012, the award-winning POV is the longest-running showcase on American television to feature the work of today's best independent documentary filmmakers. POV has brought more than 325 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide and has a Webby Award-winning online series, POV's Borders. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today's most pressing social issues. Visit www.pbs.org/pov.

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the desJardins/Blachman Fund and public television viewers. Funding for POV's Diverse Voices Project is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Special support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.