Films

In 1983, noted author Ta-Nehisi Coates remembers learning that a 14-year old boy was murdered in the corridor of his Baltimore middle school. Revisiting the case as an adult, he learns the truth about the three innocent teenagers who were convicted and sentenced to life. After 36 years in prison, it was revealed that false testimony led to their imprisonment.

When A Witness Recants explores the collateral damage the handling of this case had on the community, the wrongfully accused, and the young witnesses pressured to betray them.

“I’ve been making films about the criminal legal system for more than a decade now, but nothing has moved me more than the story of the Harlem Park 3.”
-Director Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble, Luther: Never Too Much)

“Moves with the sure-footedness of the truth stepping out into the light.”
-Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com