Trailer Arrives For The Central Park Five

When it comes to documentaries, very few names have become as synonymous with the genre as director Ken Burns. Through his various epic-length pieces on everything from the Civil War to baseball, he’s become one of the most influential filmmakers within the medium. And he’s back with a brand new project.

Written and directed by Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns, a new trailer has arrived for the upcoming documentary The Central Park Five. Hitting theaters starting on November 23, the film follows the story of five men who were wrongly convicted for rape in Central Park in 1989. Here’s the full synopsis for the film:

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE is the story of the five young men who were wrongfully convicted for the 1989 rape of a jogger in Central Park. It examines how the legal system’s rush to judgment – fueled by a city racially divided and fearful of crime – resulted in false confessions and no reassessment of the charges as conflicting evidence came in.  This left a brutal rapist on the streets and robbed five innocent kids of their youth, all of whom served out their full terms. District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, after directing a thorough re-investigation when the actual rapist came forward and confessed, and realizing his office’s mistakes, joined with the defense to request that the convictions be vacated, which was instantly granted by Judge Charles Tejada.

  

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, an outraged public, and the five lives upended by this miscarriage of justice.

The film looks like one hell of an intriguing and impactful documentary, looking at not only this crime in particular, but how the location of the crime played into its overall impact. Featuring a cavalcade of interviews, the film looks to be a thorough insight into what truly happened and where that left those involved. Check out the trailer below. 

Source: IFC