Film
Reel Impact: Crown Heights
- 7PM
On April 10, 1980, a shot rang out on the streets of Crown Heights, igniting a decades-long quest for justice. In this harrowing true story, Colin Warner (played with heartbreaking sincerity by Lakeith Stanfield) is arrested, tried, and convicted of a crime he did not commit, falling victim to a deeply broken system that refuses to listen. Writer-director Matt Ruskin worked closely with the real Warner to shed light on this painful personal story and horrifying systemic issue. With emotional authenticity—and a standout performance by Stanfield—Crown Heights is a powerful ode to those we leave behind.
This screening marks the launch of Reel Impact, a new series in partnership with Amazon Studios that puts film at the intersection of dialogue and action. The films selected for Reel Impact reveal the systemic issues in our society through individual narratives of struggle and activism—followed by a conversation among creative voices, community activists, and some of the leading thinkers on the issues presented.
Postscreening Discussion
Discussion moderated by Grace Aneiza Ali with Innocence Project Speakers' Bureau member Rodney Roberts, Brooklyn Defender Services Senior Staff Attorney Debora Silberman, Cathleen Price, senior attorney, Equal Justice Initiative, and Carl King, who is portrayed in the film. The conversation continues afterwards at a reception in the Lepercq Space.
Grace Aneiza Ali is the founder and editorial director of Of Note magazine, an award-winning online magazine on art and activism. She teaches in the department of Art and Public Policy at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. As an independent curator, her exhibition projects are centered on contemporary art from and about the Caribbean. Ali was born in Guyana and lives and works in New York. She is an Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts Curatorial Fellow, a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and a Fulbright Scholar.