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The Central Park Five

The Central Park Five

20127.01h 59m

Overview

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, this is 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.

Directed by Sarah Burns
Written by David McMahon, Sarah Burns, Ken Burns
Produced by Sarah Burns, Ken Burns, David McMahon
Box Office0Revenue: $274K

Top Cast

Antron McCray

Antron McCray

Self (voice)

Kevin Richardson

Kevin Richardson

Self

Yusef Salaam

Yusef Salaam

Self

Raymond Santana

Raymond Santana

Self

Kharey Wise

Kharey Wise

Self

Matias Reyes

Matias Reyes

Self (archive footage)

Jim Dwyer

Jim Dwyer

Self - New York Times

Angela Black

Angela Black

Self - Kevin's Sister

Ed Koch

Ed Koch

Self - Former Mayor, New York

C

Craig Steven Wilder

Self - Historian

Themes & Keywords

prisonpolicerapistwrongful arrestserial rapist

About The Central Park Five

The Central Park Five is a documentary film released in 2012 exploring themes of prison, police, rapist, wrongful arrest, serial rapist. Directed by Sarah Burns, it stars Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam. 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, this is 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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