AN AWARD-WINNING documentary about a Filipino man wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of two women will receive its Irish premiere at the Corona Cork Film Festival today.
Give Up Tomorrow, which has already won an award at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, tells the story of then 19-year-old culinary student Paco Larranaga who was wrongly convicted of the murder of two sisters in 1997.
Although the case led to the abolition of the death penalty in the Philippines, Larranaga continues to languish in jail and American-Irish director Michael Collins will talk about the case at the film’s Irish premiere.
The film is the only one among the 300 films to get two screenings at the Cork festival, which was opened last night by Minister for Arts Jimmy Deenihan.
Festival director Mick Hannigan said they were delighted to have the opportunity to show the documentary. “Although the film is obviously based on a true story, it actually looks and feels like a thriller as it highlights the wrong done to Paco Larranaga, and I’m sure it will be very well received.”
