American Trial: The Eric Garner Story

On July 17, 2014 in NYC, in an attempt to take Eric Garner into custody for selling ‘loosies’ (loose cigarettes without a tax mark), police officer Daniel Pantaleo placed Eric Garner in a chokehold. Garner repeated 11 times he could not breathe and died shortly thereafter. The autopsy report later determined compression to the neck and chest as the cause of death and categorized the death as a homicide. A cell phone video documenting the entire incident went viral, sparking nationwide protests. Demonstrations and media debates continued when Pantaleo was later not indicted for any crime. American Trial: The Eric Garner Story is an unscripted courtroom drama-documentary about the case that never happened. A mock trial with the real players, the film will show the trial that would have followed Garner’s death had Pantaleo been indicted. In the most accurate, balanced and unbiased way possible, using former NYS prosecutors, real attorneys, and the actual witnesses, we provide the audience with the facts necessary for them to determine “was Pantaleo guilty?” No script. Only real people and real testimonies in a courtroom setting, with a cinematic lens.