''4CHOSEN: The Documentary'' is a 2008 documentary film narrated by

Montel Williams Montel Brian Anthony Williams (born July 3, 1956) is an American television host and actor. He is known for hosting the daytime tabloid talk show '' The Montel Williams Show'', which ran in syndication from 1991 to 2008. He currently hosts ''T ...

. It was written and directed by Jon Doscher, and produced by Doscher and Fran Ganguzza. The film is about the aftermath of an incident that occurred April 23, 1998, on the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...

. Four young men (Danny Reyes, Keshon Moore, Rayshawn Brown, and Jarmaine Grant) from New York City were traveling on the turnpike on their way to a basketball talent showcase in North Carolina when they were pulled over by two state troopers and shot at thirteen times. Three of the young men were seriously injured, and the incident sparked conversations about

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...

as well as

racial profiling Racial profiling or ethnic profiling is the offender profiling, selective enforcement or selective prosecution based on race or ethnicity, rather than individual suspicion or evidence. This practice involves discrimination against minority pop ...

Summary

The film documents the court proceedings and the investigation of the

New Jersey State Police The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) is the official state police force of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with statewide jurisdiction, designated by troop sectors. History The legislation for the creation o ...

. The four basketball players were represented by attorney David Ironman, and supported by Reverend

Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights and social justice activist, Baptists, Baptist minister, radio talk show host, and TV personality, who is also the founder of the National Action Network civil rig ...

and

Johnnie Cochran Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr.Adam Bernstei ''The Washington Post'', March 30, 2005; retrieved April 17, 2006. ( ; October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American attorney from California who was involved in numerous civil rights and Police b ...

in a case that became known as "one of the largest racial profiling cases in American history".

Reception

The film opened the 2008

Garden State Film Festival The Garden State Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Asbury Park and Cranford, New Jersey, Cranford, New Jersey, which debuts more than 200 independent films annually over four days each spring. ...

where the film won Best Documentary – Short. The film premiered at the Paramount Theater in

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a dec ...

. Jon Doscher promoted the film on various outlets, including ''

The Montel Williams Show ''The Montel Williams Show'' (also known as ''Montel'') is an American syndicated tabloid talk show, hosted by Montel Williams, which ran from July 8, 1991 to May 16, 2008. On January 30, 2008, the end of production of new episodes of ''The Mo ...

'' and ''Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith''.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:4chosen: The Documentary 2008 films Works about police brutality American documentary films Documentary films about African Americans New Jersey Turnpike Race and law in the United States 2008 documentary films Documentary films about racism in the United States Films shot in New Jersey 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language documentary films