I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang is a 1932 movie in which Paul Muni stars as a wrongly accused escapee from a brutal chain gang. The film was written by Howard J. Green and Brown Holmes , from Robert E. Burns 's autobiography I Am a Fugitive from the Georgia Chain Gang . It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; the film was controversial on its release and eventually led to the elimination of forced labor in the penal system in the United States. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.