THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE film explores the story of the miscarriage of justice that engulfed Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise, the black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of the horrific 1989 crime. The brutal beating and rape of a white woman in New York City's Central Park provoked public outrage and sensational headlines during the prosecution and conviction of the five defendants. Less known is the story of the eventual exoneration of the men, who served full prison sentences.
Monday, October 24, 2016 @7pm
St. Clair Bourne 4th Monday Free Screening
Mayme Clayton Library and Museum
4130 Overland Avenue
Culver City, CA 90230
Mayme Clayton Library and Museum in association with the BADWest St. Clair Bourne
4th Monday Documentary Series
Presents:
The Central Park Five
Directed by
Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns
"I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. They must serve as examples so that others will think long and hard before committing a crime or an act of violence." - Donald Trump
On April 20, 1989, the body of a woman barely clinging to life is discovered in Central Park. Within days, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam confess to her rape and beating after many hours of aggressive interrogation at the hands of seasoned homicide detectives. The five serve their complete sentences, between 6 and 13 years, before another man, serial rapist Matias Reyes, admits to the crime, and DNA testing supports his confession.
Set against the backdrop of a city beset by violence and facing deepening rifts between races and classes, THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE intertwines the stories of these five young men, the victim, police officers and prosecutors, and Matias Reyes, unraveling the forces behind the wrongful convictions. The film illuminates how law enforcement, social institutions, and media undermined the very rights of the individuals they were designed to safeguard and protect.
"This tragedy reminds us how much we struggle to come to terms with America's original sin, which is race," said Ken Burns. "One only need to look at the history books to understand that, unfortunately, the Central Park Five are not unique in American history."
In light of the current resurfacing of this case in the political arena, we felt it important to show this film. If you missed it before, here's your chance to see it.
There will be a discussion after the film.
Ken Burns has been making films for more than thirty years. Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made
David McMahon was co-producer of The War, a seven-part series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, which was an official selection of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and later appeared on PBS. McMahon was also co-producer of Burns's The National Parks: America's Best Idea, which premiered on PBS in 2009 and won an Emmy Award for outstanding nonfiction series.
Sarah Burns is the author of The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of a City Wilding (Knopf, 2011) and, along with David McMahon and Ken Burns, the producer, writer and director of the documentary The Central Park Five, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. She is currently working on a film about the life and times of Jackie Robinson.
Discussion after the screening.
This event is FREE.
Monday, October 24, 2016 @ 7pm
Mayme Clayton Library and Museum
4130 Overland Avenue
Culver City, CA 90230
Free Parking.
Join BADWest for $45, and reap all the benefits of being a member, including free monthly meetings, screenings and other special events.
The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West is a project of Fulcrum Arts' Emerge fiscal sponsorship program. www.fulcrumarts.org
The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West (BAD West) is a professional organization providing people of African descent working in documentary film, video or other media the opportunity to network professionally, share resources, exchange ideas and meet socially in order to enhance the development, production, promotion and exhibition of documentaries. The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West also advocates the recognition and professional advancement of Black documentary filmmakers.
