When a Witness Recants (Dawn Porter, 2026) | Dawn Porter in person
One of the most acclaimed documentaries of the year, this unmissable film examines the lasting effects of a profound miscarriage of justice.
Film/Video Theater
Ohio Premiere
Advance ticket sale begins for members August 22—join today!
Tickets available to the general public September 4
$8 members
$12 general public
$9 adults 55 and over
$6 students
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 wrongly accused, and the young witnesses who were pressured to betray them. With creative uses of graphic novel–style animated recreations by Dawud Anyabwile and an overwhelmingly powerful finale, the legendary documentarian Dawn Porter (Luther: Never Too Much, John Lewis: Good Trouble, and Gideon’s Army) has made one of her finest films. (112 mins., DCP)
A Q&A with director Dawn Porter will follow the film.
See the complete Unorthodocs 2026 lineup.
"A harrowing investigative piece [that] moves with the sure-footedness of the truth stepping out into the light." RogerEbert.com