When a Witness Recants

  • Three Black men sitting in chairs
  • Drawing of two Black youth in back of police car
  • Illustration of 3 Black men walking into sunset

Showings

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema Wed, Apr 29 5:45 PM
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TIFF Lightbox 1 Sun, May 3 4:15 PM
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Film Info
Copyright:2026
Country Listing:USA
Premiere Status:Canadian Premiere
Runtime:117
Festival Info
Festival Year:2026
Language:English
Accessibility:Open Captions
Audio Description
ASL Intro/Q&A
Program:Special Presentations
Film Subjects:Crime & the Justice System
Media & Journalism
Cast/Crew Info
Director(s):Dawn Porter
Producer(s):Dawn Porter
Jennifer Oko
Miriam Weintraub
Executive Producer(s):Ta-Nehisi Coates
Kenyatta Matthews
Kamilah Forbes
Jennifer Gonnerman
Nancy Abraham
Lisa Heller
Sara Rodriguez
Eli Holzman
Aaron Saidman
Supervising Producer(s):Summer Damon
Line Producer:Adam Goldberg
Editor(s):Jessica Congdon
Cinematography:Bryan Gentry
Composer:Osei Essed
Film Website:thefilmcollaborative.org/films/whenawitnessrecants

Description

Open Cations Icon  Audio Description Icon  Screening with open captions and audio description. There will be ASL interpretation for the intro and Q&A on May 3.


Author Ta-Nehisi Coates reflects on and revisits the case of the murder of a young boy inside the walls of a Baltimore middle school. Decades ago, three teenagers were convicted of the crime, then incarcerated for 36 years. Upon a deeper look into the incident, layers start to peel away, bringing to light how facts were severely skewed—and the truth that these men were convicted of a crime they did not commit. Through coerced false testimonies, lives were changed forever. The profound impact of that sentencing still shows how unjustly the Black community is treated all too often by the US justice system. Hot Docs alum Dawn Porter (Luther: Never Too Much, opening night 2024) brings forth a powerful and stirring new film that looks at the trauma cases like this cause, and the fight for retribution that still goes on today. Gabor Pertic

 

Additional Information



Tickets: $22 regular | $20 member + HST


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