Abducted: The Carlina White Story
| Abducted: The Carlina White Story | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | Elizabeth Hunter |
| Directed by | Vondie Curtis-Hall |
| Starring |
Aunjanue Ellis Keke Palmer Sherri Shepherd Roger Cross |
| Theme music composer | Terence Blanchard |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Mary Martin Craig Piligian Alan Gasner |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Pilgrim Studios[1] |
| Release | |
| Original network | Lifetime |
| Original release | October 6, 2012 |
Abducted: The Carlina White Story is a Lifetime television film about Carlina White, who was abducted as an infant by Ann Pettway from a New York hospital and solved her own kidnapping and reunited with her biological parents 23 years later. The case is reported to be the first known infant abduction from a New York hospital. On July 30, 2012, Pettway was sentenced in a New York court to 12 years in prison for kidnapping Carlina. The movie premiered on October 6, 2012.[2]
Plot synopsis
In August 1987, new parents Joy White (Shepherd) and Carl Tyson (Cross) took their 19-day-old daughter Carlina to Harlem Hospital in New York City with a high fever. Ann Pettway (Ellis), who had suffered a series of miscarriages and was desperate for a baby, posed as a hospital nurse and walked out of the hospital with Carlina hidden from view. While Joy and Carl desperately searched for their daughter over the years, Pettway was raising Carlina (Palmer) as Nejdra "Netty" Nance in Bridgeport, Connecticut, a mere 45 miles from New York City. As Carlina grew older, she began to suspect Pettway was not her birth mother and launched her own investigation. After contacting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Carlina was reunited with her biological parents in January 2011.
Cast
- Aunjanue Ellis as Ann Pettway
- Keke Palmer as Carlina White
- Sherri Shepherd as Joy White
- Roger Cross as Carl Tyson
- Heather Doerksen as Agent Thompson
Reception
Critical reception
Sandy Hoffman of AIDY Reviews said the film was an emotionless wreck that didn't do the story justice.[3] Laura Fries of Variety said the film felt a little incomplete.[4]
Ratings
Abducted: The Carlina White Story earned 4.09 million viewers in its first airing on October 6, 2012, on Lifetime.[5][6]
Awards
Abducted: The Carlina White Story was nominated in 4 categories at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards, with Elizabeth Hunter winning for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television). The film also received four nominations at the Black Reel Awards of 2013, with Vondie Curtis-Hall winning Best Director (Network/Cable Television), Elizabeth Hunter winning Best Screenplay (Network/Cable Television), and Aunjanue Ellis winning the Outstanding Television or Mini-Series Performance (Female) over her nominated co-star, Keke Palmer.[7]
References
- ↑ "Abducted: The Carlina White Story". Pilgrim Studios. 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ↑ "Lifetime's 'Abducted: The Carlina White Story' To Premiere Saturday October 6". TV by the Numbers. August 28, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
- ↑ "Abducted: The Carlina White Story". AIDY Reviews. March 9, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
- ↑ "Review: "Abducted: The Carlina White Story"". Variety. October 3, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
- ↑ "Saturday's Cable Ratings: College Football Tops Demos for ESPN". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ↑ "Cable Top 25: 'Monday Night Football' Again Tops Cable Viewership for the Week Ending October 7, 2012". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2212658/awards?ref_=tt_awd