Austin Film Festival 2006

In 1998, Mario Rocha, a young Latino kid from East L.A., was convicted of murder and attempted murder on the basis of one eyewitness identification and no physical evidence. He was 16 years old at the time of his arrest, yet tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison. While waiting two years for his trial in juvenile hall, Mario discovered his talent for writing. This film interweaves Mario's story and writings as an inmate in one of California's toughest prisons with the efforts of an unexpected group of people who have come together to win his freedom. Once found guilty by a jury, it's almost impossible to overturn the conviction. Mario's chances of ever regaining his freedom are less than 1 percent.

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary at the 2006 Los Angeles Film festival

Selected by the Los Angeles Times as one of the top ten films at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival.

"Jeff Werner and Susan Koch's extraordinary documentary chronicles the young man's fight for freedom. Rocha's inner strength and resilence through adversity are a marvel." (Los Angeles Times).

"It is an account that rivals some of the best courtroom fiction in its ability to create an undeniably powerful, emotional journey out of the real-life chain of events." (Hollywood Reporter).

From Ain't It Cool News : "Long legal battles over many years are probably one of the hardest situations to turn into compelling drama, let alone a suspenseful thriller. Yet directors Jeff Werner and Susan Koch do just that in this documentary. The underlying urgency of Mario's life at stake is the narrative’s propelling heartbeat" From Variety: "Pic reps a good example of docu filmmaking on the run, where the makers have no idea where their subject will take them, and its best moments are those where events happen in front of the lens.... dramatic twists and a finale that blends the sweet with the bitter."