The Central Park Five (2012)

A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.

Directors:

Ken Burns, Sarah Burns,

Writers:

Ken Burns, Sarah Burns,

Stars:

Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana

4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Angela Black	...	Herself
Calvin O. Butts III	...	Himself
Natalie Byfield	...	Herself
David Dinkins	...	Himself
Jim Dwyer	...	Himself
Ronald Gold	...	Himself
LynNell Hancock	...	Herself
Michael Joseph	...	Himself
Saul Kassin	...	Himself
Ed Koch	...	Himself
Antron McCray	...	Himself
Kevin Richardson	...	Himself
Yusef Salaam	...	Himself
Raymond Santana Sr.	...	Himself
Raymond Santana	...	Himself

Storyline

In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were arrested and later convicted of raping a white woman in New York City's Central Park. They spent between 6 and 13 years in prison before a serial rapist confessed that he alone had committed the crime, leading to their convictions being overturned. Set against a backdrop of a decaying city beset by violence and racial tension, THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE tells the story of that horrific crime, the rush to judgment by the police, a media clamoring for sensational stories and an outraged public, and the five lives upended by this miscarriage of justice.

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Plot Keywords:

central park | miscarriage of justice | new york city | wrongful conviction | racism

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 2012 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$30,570 (USA) (21 November 2012)

Gross:

$273,747 (USA) (4 January 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Florentine Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

This Is Why You Make Movies

You must try your very best to see The Central Park Five. I left it 5 hours ago and I'm still on fire. I have no right words. It might be the best documentary I've ever seen. Or let me put it like this: I've never watched a film that better justified making films in the first place. I just felt like I witnessed 119 minutes of truth-telling that was handled exquisitely from a narrative and visual storytelling perspective.

I almost didn't go. I was tired and I was thinking, you know, I have 3 hours here (my husband was watching our young son) do I really want to spend it focused on tragedy? I am so deeply happy I went. Maysles Cinema screened it at the Dempsey auditorium in Harlem. It was packed to the rafters. Throughout the screening, you never heard a rustle. You never heard a cough. You never saw the light of someone texting. Total, utter rapt attention. And then, we had the Q&A with four of the men. Four full human beings who had so much taken away from them. They filled the stage with their powerful, radiant presence. Sara Burns and David McMahon were there, too, as was Albert Maysles himself. An incredible experience.