Trailer Drop · Official Trailer · 29 October 2026
Three Baltimore teenagers spent 36 years in prison for a murder they did not commit. HBO Max has released the official trailer for When a Witness Recants, Dawn Porter’s documentary about the case, executive produced by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and it debuts on HBO and HBO Max in the US on 17 November.
The Harlem Park Three
In 1983 a 14-year-old boy was murdered in a hallway at Harlem Park Junior High School in Baltimore. Ransom Watkins, Andrew Stewart and Alfred Chestnut were convicted and sentenced to life, and were only freed in November 2019 after witnesses recanted testimony they said they had been pressured to give as teenagers.
Adapted from Jennifer Gonnerman’s New Yorker article, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and includes a face-to-face meeting between the exonerated men and one of the witnesses. HBO Max’s other new documentary this week is covered in our The Slightest Touch Trailer: Colin Farrell Runs Dublin for a Friend story.
Film at a Glance
- Film: When a Witness Recants (2026)
- Trailer: Official Trailer, 2 minutes 1 second (HBO Max)
- Genre: True crime documentary
- Director: Dawn Porter
- Executive producer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Featuring: Ransom Watkins, Andrew Stewart, Alfred Chestnut
- Platform: HBO and HBO Max (US), from 17 November 2026
- UK availability: UK date not yet confirmed