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Cast & Crew
Directed By
Written By
- Spencer Averick
- written by
- Ava DuVernay
- written by
Cast
- Melina Abdullah
- Self - Chair, Pan-African Studies, California State University, Los Angeles
- Michelle Alexander
- Self - Educator and Author, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
- Cory Booker
- Self - U.S. Senator (D) New Jersey
- Dolores Canales
- Self - Formerly Incarcerated Activist / Co-Founder of California Families to Abolish Solitary Confinement
- Gina Clayton
- Self - Attorney and Founder, Essie Justice Group
- Jelani Cobb
- Self - Professor of African-American Studies, University of Connecticut
- Malkia Cyril
- Self - Executive Director of the Center for Media Justice
- Angela Davis
- Self - Professor Emerita, UC Santa Cruz
- Craig DeRoche
- Self - Formerly Incarcerated Activist / President, Justice Fellowship
- David Dinkins
- Self - 106th Mayor of New York City (D)
- Baz Dreisinger
- Self - Educator and Author, Incarceration Nations
- Kevin Gannon
- Self - Professor of History, Grandview University
- Henry Louis Gates Jr.
- Self - Professor of History, Harvard University
- Marie Gottschalk
- Self - Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania
- Newt Gingrich
- Self - 50th Speaker of the House of Representatives, 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate
- Lisa Graves
- Self - Executive Director, Center for Media and Democracy
- Cory Greene
- Self - Formerly Incarcerated Activist / Co-Founder, H.O.L.L.A.
- John Hagan
- Self - Professor of Sociology and Law, Northwestern University
- Michael Hough
- Self - Maryland State Senator (R), American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
- Van Jones
- Self - Founder, #CUT50 / Founder & President, Dream Corps
- David Keene
- Self - Chairman 1984 - 2011, American Conservative Union
- James Kilgore
- Self - Formerly Incarcerated Author, Understanding Mass Incarceration
- Glenn E. Martin
- Self - Formerly Incarcerated Activist / Founder, JustLeadershipUSA
- Marc Mauer
- Self - Executive Director, Sentencing Project
- Khalil Gibran Muhammad
- Self - Professor of History, Race and Public Policy, Harvard University
- Pat Nolan
- Self - Formerly Incarcerated Activist / SVP, Prison Fellowship
- Grover Norquist
- Self - Board Member, Americans for Tax Reform
- Dorsey Nunn
- Self - Executive Director, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
- Liza Jessie Peterson
- Self - Incarceration Activist and Educator
- Charles Rangel
- Self - Congressman (D), New York 13th District
- Kyung-Ji Rhee
- Self - Center for Nu Leadership on Urban Solutions
- Rashad Robinson
- Self - Color for Change
- Shaka Senghor
- Self - Formerly Incarcerated Activist / Director of Strategy, #CUT50
- Bob Sloan
- Self - Independent Investigative Journalist
- Deborah Small
- Self - Attorney and Founder, Break the Chains
- Bryan Stevenson
- Self - Attorney and Author / Founder, Equal Justice Initiative
- Ken Thompson
- Self - District Attorney - Brooklyn, New York
- Nicholas Turner
- Self - President, Vera Institute of Justice
- Daniel Wagner
- Self - Investigative Reporter, Buzzfeed
- Joe Atkins
- Self - Minnesota (DFL)
- Lee Atwater
- Self - Campaign Strategist to Ronald Reagan
- Tom Brokaw
- Self - Host, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw
- Kalief Browder
- Self - Inmate Held Without Trial, 2010 - 2013
- Carolyn Bryant
- Self - Wife of Roy Bryant
- Roy Bryant
- Self - Acquitted of Lynching Emmett Till
- George Bush
- Self - 41st President of the United States
- George W. Bush
- Self - 43rd President of the United States
- Jimmy Carter
- Self - 39th President of the United States
- Philando Castile
- Self - Murdered by Police
- Bill Clinton
- Self - 42nd President of the United States
- Hillary Clinton
- Self - 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate
- Stephen Colbert
- Self - Host, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Walter Cronkite
- Self - Host, CBS Evening News
- Richard Allen Davis
- Self - Convicted Murderer
- Bob Dole
- Self - Former U.S. Senator (R-KS)
- Sam DuBose
- Self - Murdered by Police
- Michael Dukakis
- Self - 1988 Democratic Presidential Candidate
- John Ehrlichman
- Self - Chief Domestic Advisor to Richard Nixon
- Gerald Ford
- Self - 38th President of the United States
- Eric Garner
- Self
- Steve Gottwalt
- Self - Minnesota (R)
- Oscar Grant
- Self - Murdered by Police
- Freddie Gray
- Self - Murdered by Police
- Fred Hampton
- Self - Chairman, Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party
- Eric Courtney Harris
- Self - Murdered by Police
- Jason Harrison
- Self - Murdered by Police
- Thom Hartmann
- Self - Progressive Political Commentator
- Marc Lamont Hill
- Self - Huffington Post Live
- Willie Horton
- Self - Convicted Murderer
- Peter Jennings
- Self - Host, ABC Nightly News with Peter Jennings
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Self - 36th President of the United States
- Sharanda Jones
- Self - Received Mandatory Minimum Sentence of Life in Prison on First Offense
- Martin Luther King
- Self - Civil Rights Leader
- Polly Hannah Klaas
- Self - Murder Victim
- Ed Koch
- Self - 105th Mayor of New York City
- Rachel Maddow
- Self - Host, The Rachel Maddow Show
- Malcolm X
- Self - Civil Rights Leader
- Trayvon Martin
- Self
- Laquan McDonald
- Self - Murdered by Police
- Zebulon Miletsky
- Self - Author, Before Busing: Boston's Long Freedom Movement in the 'Cradle of Liberty'
- Mamie Till Mobley
- Self - Mother of Emmett Till
- Richard Nixon
- Self - 37th President of the United States
- Barack Obama
- Self - 44th President of the United States
- John Oliver
- Self - Host, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
- Rick Perry
- Self - Governor of Texas 2000 - 2015 (R)
- Dan Rather
- Self - Host, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather
- Nancy Reagan
- Self - Former First Lady
- Ronald Reagan
- Self - 40th President of the United States
- Harry Reasoner
- Self - Journalist, 60 Minutes
- Diamond Reynolds
- Self - Partner Murdered by Police
- Tamir E. Rice
- Self - Murdered by Police
- Ronnie C. Rouse
- Self - Film and Music Producer
- Bernie Sanders
- Self - U.S. Senator (I-VT)
- Assata Shakur
- Self - Member of Black Panther Party & Black Liberation Army
- Emmett Till
- Self - Victim of Lynching
- Donald Trump
- Self - New York City Real Estate Businessman
- Jerry Watson
- Self - Chief Legal Counsel, American Bail Coalition
- Paul Weyrich
- Self - Co-Founder, ALEC
- Larry Wilmore
- Self - Host, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore
- George Zimmerman
- Self
Produced By
- Spencer Averick
- producer
- Howard Barish
- producer
- Mercedes Yolanda Cooper
- associate producer
- Ben Cotner
- executive producer
- Adam Del Deo
- executive producer
- Ava DuVernay
- producer
- Danny Hirsch
- associate post producer
- Tilane Jones
- co-producer
- Michael Nell
- associate producer
- Lisa Nishimura
- executive producer
- Jason Sterman
- executive producer
- Tessa Treadway
- Post Production Executive
- Angus Wall
- executive producer
Music
- Jason Moran
- Composer
Cinematography
- Hans Charles
- director of photography
- Kira Kelly
- director of photography
Sound
- M. Scott Blynder
- sound
- Scott Blynder
- additional sound mixer
- Tim Boggs
- supervising sound editor
- Noyan Cosarer
- re-recording mixer
- Dwayne Dell
- sound mixer
- Craig Henighan
- additional mixing
- Jesse Johnstone
- sound recordist
- Alex Lee
- sound effects editor
- Matt Miller
- additional re-recording mixer
- Jeffrey Perkins
- re-recording mixer
- Fred Runner
- sound recordist: San Francisco/Oakland
Editing
Makeup
- Shawntay Fisher
- key makeup artist
- Jacob Geraghty
- key makeup artist
Visual Effects
- Leanne Dare
- art director
- Jamie McBriety
- post producer
Production Management
- Christiana Hooks
- post-production supervisor
- Al Smith
- production supervisor
Animation
- Ekin Akalin
- animator
- Frank Lin
- animator
- Dan Meehan
- animator
Editorial
- Lauren Dellara
- title sequence editor
- Alex Ivany
- assistant editor
- Zach Marshall
- assistant editor: EPK
- Chris Riley
- on-line editor
- Paul Yacono
- digital intermediate colorist
Other
- Robyn Aronson
- special thanks
- Rand Holston
- special thanks
- Bill Jacks
- special thanks
- Carolyn Javier
- special thanks
- Franklin Leonard
- special thanks
- Jonathan Mussman
- special thanks
- David Oyelowo
- special thanks
- Roya Rastegar
- special thanks
- Denise Sexton
- special thanks
- Tessa Treadway
- special thanks
- Ben Weiss
- special thanks
- Berry Welsh
- special thanks
- Oprah Winfrey
- special thanks
Music Department
- Tera DuVernay
- music supervisor
- Julie Pearce
- music editor
- Petr E.C. Rice
- additional music
- Lise Richardson
- music editor
Camera Department
- James Allen
- Gaffer San Diego
- Nick Berry
- electrician
- Bliss Bussant
- key grip: New York
- Tom Cherry
- assistant camera
- Jay Coakley
- dolly grip: San Francisco/Oakland
- Andrew Crighton
- swing: New York
- Christine Hodinh
- first assistant camera: Los Angeles
- Ja-Mar Jones
- key grip
- Sammy Leonard
- first assistant camera: New York
- J. Carlos Lopez
- key grip: San Francisco & Oakland
- David Magnum Garza
- gaffer: San Francisco/Oakland
- Chris Mariles
- first assistant camera: Washington, DC
- Gordon McIver
- gaffer
- Cisco Rivera
- gaffer: San Francisco/Oakland
- Megaera Stephens
- first assistant camera: San Francisco/Oakland
- Na Thirakomen
- gaffer: New York
- Travis Williams
- grip: San Diego
- Mike Wilson
- gaffer
- Danny Wollenberg
- gaffer: Washington DC / grip
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