By depicting real-life witnesses and actual evidence in a courtroom setting, American Trial will tell the story of the trial that may have occurred had NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo been indicted for the killing of Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York. Using the trial as a conduit, this documentary will examine accountability, race and police/civilian relations in New York City and beyond.—Roee Messinger

An unscripted courtroom drama that presents the trial that never happened against the NYPD Officer who was videotaped putting Eric Garner in the choke-hold that led to his death in 2014. The film employs real-life prosecutors and defense attorneys to conduct a totally unscripted mock trial using the real-life evidence, witnesses (including Esaw Snipes-Garner, Eric's widow), expert testimony and rules of criminal procedure; the only actor in the film is the man who plays the defendant, Officer Daniel Pantaleo. The audience is the jury and viewers decide whether Pantaleo should be found guilty or innocent - a verdict the Garner family never had the chance to hear.