First Look: ‘When They See Us’ chronicles the harrowing story of Central Park Five

Mar 1, 2019

The Ava DuVernay led Netflix film about the Central Park Five has a release date of May 31, 2019 and a new title, “When They See Us,” Deadline reports.

The new title “embraces the humanity of the men and not their politicized moniker,” explains the acclaimed director about the now infamous true story, Central Park Five. The griping story will chronicle the case of five teenagers of color who were convicted of a brutal rape they did not commit.

The release date also marks the 30th anniversary of the case.

The four-part series will span from the spring of 1989, when the boys were first questioned about the incident, to 2014 when they were exonerated and reached a settlement with the City of New York.

DuVernay tweeted out the first look trailer.

Not thugs. Not wilding. Not criminals. Not even the Central Park Five. They are Korey, Antron, Raymond, Yusef, Kevin. They are millions of young people of color who are blamed, judged and accused on sight. May 31. A film in four parts about who they really are. WHEN THEY SEE US. pic.twitter.com/QQBVqo4TYM

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 1, 2019

“Not thugs. Not wilding. Not criminals. Not even the Central Park Five. They are Korey, Antron, Raymond, Yusef, Kevin. They are millions of young people of color who are blamed, judged and accused on sight. May 31. A film in four parts about who they really are. WHEN THEY SEE US.”

According to the official movie description:

“Based on a true story that gripped the country, When They See Us will chronicle the notorious case of five teenagers of color, labeled the Central Park Five, who were convicted of a rape they did not commit. The four part limited series will focus on the five teenagers from Harlem — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise. Beginning in the spring of 1989, when the teenagers were first questioned about the incident, the series will span 25 years, highlighting their exoneration in 2002 and the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014.”

Said Ava DuVernay: “In 1989, five black and brown teen boys were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit and branded The Central Park Five, a moniker that has followed them since that time. In 2019, our series gives the five men a platform to finally raise their voices and tell their full stories. In doing so, Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef also tell the story of many young people of color unjustly ensnared in the criminal justice system. We wanted to reflect this perspective in our title, embracing the humanity of the men and not their politicized moniker.”