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Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing” is a one-of-a-kind film set in the prison of the same name. Rather than look at the broken justice system, the A24 film focuses on a group of incarcerated men and their rehabilitation through the arts.

Colman Domingo stars as John “Divine G” Whitfield, a playwright who is incarcerated at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit. He works alongside his best friend Mike Mike (Sean San Jose) and program director Brent Buell (Paul Raci) to build their acting group at the prison. Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin plays a version of himself — someone with a knack for acting. Their prison acting group meets frequently to put on plays.

The foundation is based on a true story and the success of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, which was founded at Sing Sing in 1996. That program has since expanded across New York state correctional facilities and includes dance,...

The Colman Domingo-starring Sing Sing is the latest installment in Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series that highlights the script behind this year’s most-talked about movies in awards season.

The Greg Kwedar-directed film is based on the true story of John “Divine G” Whitfield (Domingo), who’s imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit but finds purpose by acting in a theater group alongside other incarcerated men like Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin (who plays himself). The movie also stars Sean San José, Sean “Dino” Johnson, Jon Adrian “JJ” Velazquez and Paul Raci.

The prisoners were part of program called Rta, or Rehabilitation Through the Arts. Launched at New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility in 1996, Rta has grown from a single theater workshop to a comprehensive arts program in multiple prisons in the state and is a world leader in arts-in-prison programming, the organization said. Less...

For composer Bryce Dessner, working on a film like Sing Sing was all about defying expectations in the score. Though the film takes place in a prison, the story itself avoids the usual stereotypes of violence to focus on a tale of rehabilitation. Dessner decided to focus on a sense of freedom for the score, even using opera as a jumping off point.

Sing Sing tells the true story of Divine G (Colman Domingo), a man imprisoned as Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, who finds purpose as part of a theatre group, along with newcomer Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin. Since the film focuses on the power of art as a means of escape and finding peace, Dessner used an image of Domingo and Maclin looking through a window into the horizon as a major point of influence.

Sing Sing, from left: Paul Raci, Sean San Jose,...

The following op-ed was provided to IndieWire courtesy of the team behind “Sing Sing.” It’s written by Sean Boyce Johnson, a Yale-educated actor, about his father Sean “Dino” Johnson, who stars in the A24 film but is also an alum of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (Rta) program. He was incarcerated during much of his son’s childhood, as Sean Boyce Johnson explains below in his tribute to his father.

Starring Colman Domingo and written/directed by Greg Kwedar with co-writer Clint Bentley, “Sing Sing” incorporates many alumni of Rta in the film’s ensemble in its story of a small theater group formed within the titular New York State correctional facility. The program operates in 10 maximum and medium-security men’s and women’s New York State correctional facilities and aims to reduce recidivism rates by providing people who are incarcerated with critical life skills through the arts.

My...

The inaugural San Quentin Film Festival has unveiled its full lineup.

IndieWire can reveal that the first-ever San Quentin Film Festival (SQFF24) has a full program featuring short films that were produced by currently or formerly incarcerated filmmakers. The official selections for the Documentary and Narrative Shorts categories, as well as the Feature category, are below.

The Feature category was limited to films about the prison experience, made by filmmakers who have never been incarcerated. These submissions will be judged by an Inside Jury of current San Quentin residents.

For the Documentary and Narrative Shorts categories, films will be judged by a prestigious panel of entertainment industry artists, filmmakers, and executives. As mentioned, all of the shorts were produced by currently or formerly incarcerated filmmakers.

A total of 55 submissions were received from filmmakers based in the United States, France, and the Netherlands. In the Shorts competition, five of the Official...

It may not be the most original premise for a narrative, but director Greg Kwedar has crafted a touching and sincerely felt story of redemption through artistic endeavour in a high security prison in upstate New York.

Rather than locking away offenders and forgetting about them, Kwedar makes a convincing case for giving inmates hope through a collective programme of theatre and dance leading to an inventive and ambitious production within the walls.

Kwedar and his co-writer take a slow burn approach with most of the interaction taking place in large hall as the group uncover inspiration and friendships.

Using a mix of both professional and amateur actors the film reveals the intimate details and attitudes of these incarcerated individuals, among them Colman Dingo, who plays Divine G. Without finding a sense of common purpose with his friend Mike Mike (Sean San José) it is not obvious how he might have.

A24 is offering free screenings of “Sing Sing” at AMC theaters across the U.S.

Through its “See Sing Sing” campaign, the studio has partnered with celebs including Jesse Williams, Bowen Yang, Mark Duplass, Janicza Bravo and Dax Shepard, who are championing the film about a group of incarcerated men who put on theatrical shows.

Screenings from Aug. 22-28 will be “hosted” by Natasha Lyonne, Stephanie Hsu, Bette Midler, Gabrielle Union, Liza Koshy, Common and the Brooklyn Nets.

By visiting the “See Sing Sing” website, you can select your city and input your email to receive a code for a free ticket, redeemable at participating AMC theaters.

From director Greg Kwedar, “Sing Sing” is based on the true story of John “Divine G” Whitfield (Colman Domingo), who is serving time at Sing Sing Correctional Facility for a crime he did not commit. A gifted writer and actor, Divine G finds...

Colman Domingo in Sing Sing. Courtesy of A24

Sing Sing is not about vocalizing but a powerful, moving drama about the transformative power of art in an deeply human story about men incarcerated at the Sing Sing penitentiary in rural New York. Nonetheless, Sing Sing does indeed sing, with a tour-de-force performance by Colman Domingo as one of the men participating in the prison theater arts program, a program that transforms the lives of those incarcerated through performing in plays and expressing their humanity and finding uplift.

Sing Sing Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison about 30 miles north of Manhattan on the east bank of the Hudson River in New York, is the setting for the true story-based Sing Sing. In this very different kind of prison drama, Colman Domingo stars as John “Divine G” Whitfield, a man imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, who finds emotional release...

Exclusive: Daughters, the award-winning Netflix documentary set behind the walls of a Washington DC prison, will serve as the closing night selection of a new film festival taking place at California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

The film, winner of the Festival Favorite Award as well as the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary at Sundance, centers on a special “Daddy-Daughter Dance” where incarcerated men and their daughters participate in a unique and emotional bonding experience. It will screen October 11 at the San Quentin Film Festival, a two-day event on the grounds of the prison that houses upwards of 4,000 men.

‘Daughters’

“We are honored to have Daughters screen as the Closing Night film in San Quentin!” said Natalie Rae, who directed the documentary with Angela Patton. “To connect incarcerated fathers...

Growing up in Brooklyn, John “Divine G” Whitfield was a natural performer. As a Bruce Lee-obsessed teenager, he and a friend would create karate movies, charging 10 cents a pop to view the action-packed films. He grooved on the local television program Soap Factory Disco and enrolled in a High School for Performing Arts in the 1970s. He sang. He DJ’d. He did acrobatics. So when Whitfield was incarcerated for a homicide he didn’t commit in the late 1980s, he intuitively leaned into the arts for an emotional release.

Sing Sing, the powerful, poignant prison drama starring Colman Domingo, opens NY/LA, with indie love stories Dandelion and Touch debuting on hundreds of screens as distributors continue to tinker with release patterns. Martin Scorsese, eloquent as always, narrates (and executive produced) Made In England: The Films of Powell And Pressburger. Sorry/Not Sorry takes on comedian Louis C.K.

It’s a mixed specialty market still below pre-Covid levels but buoyed recently by hits like Thelma and hopeful that cinema goers are starting to sort out what to see, when and where.

“I think you’re starting to see who’s really theatrical and who isn’t. The lines are becoming clearer. Like, ‘Okay, I’m going to see this, Inside Out 2, in a theater, and I’m going to see that at the Angelika, or wherever, it might be. But I’m going to see it in a theater,...

You do not meet John Whitfield, known to friends and enemies alike by his nickname Divine G, as a person convicted of a crime. You are introduced to him onstage as a performer, bringing a production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream to a close as an audience of fellow incarcerated men applaud. It’s a small but crucial detail, and helps set the stage, literally and otherwise, for what Sing Sing is aiming to do. A prison drama less interested in crime and punishment than in catharsis and the creative power of theater,...

Una conmovedora historia basada en hechos reales sobre el poder sanador del arte. © a24

Ya tiene fecha de estreno en nuestro país “Sing Sing”, una conmovedora película sobre el poder sanador del arte, y dotada de una gran fuerza emocional. La aclamada película, que triunfó en el pasado Festival de Toronto, llegará a España de la mano de Madfer Films y Alfa Pictures.

“Sing Sing” es un drama inspiracional basado en hechos reales que sigue a Divine G (Colman Domingo), encarcelado por un delito que no cometió, que encuentra un propósito actuando en un grupo de teatro junto a otros hombres encarcelados, entre ellos un desconfiado recién llegado (Clarence Maclin). A través de las artes escénicas, estos hombres consiguen ver el mundo como un lugar por el que luchar.

Dirigida por Greg Kwedar (“Jockey”), la película está protagonizada por Colman Domingo (“Rustin”) y Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) junto a...

One of the most enduring debates about Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy is whether it is, indeed, a soliloquy. Is the prince of Denmark aware that, just beyond the curtains, the king and Polonius are spying on him? If he is, should we rather call Hamlet’s speech a performance, meant to further his plot to be thought of as a decaying madman? If he isn’t aware of being surveilled, how serious should we take Hamlet’s consideration of suicide?

Greg Kwedar’s loosely fictionalized Sing Sing, about a theater troupe at the titular prison, isn’t an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play. But the original comedy that the incarcerated actors are rehearsing, a musical revue about a time-traveling ancient Egyptian titled Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code, does contain Hamlet’s speech. Still, the film hinges on familiar Shakespearean themes, exploring how art can be a conduit for catharsis and,...

"Everyone on the movie collectively owns the movie." A24 has unveiled another beautiful promo featurette for Sing Sing, directed by filmmaker Greg Kwedar. This initially premiered at last year's 2023 Toronto Film Festival to rave reviews, with many critics calling it one of the best of the fest. It's ready to open in art house theaters starting in July and will expand into more cities in August - check your local listings. Oscar nominee Colman Domingo stars in a rapturous role as Divine G – imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, he finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including a wary newcomer – in this "stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art," starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. Which makes a very big difference. Based on the real-life arts rehabilitation programme founded at Sing Sing Correctional Facility,...

Mindy Kaling is known for her creating groundbreaking content — including the hit Netflix comedy “Never Have I Ever,” HBO’s “Sex Life of College Girls” and “The Mindy Project,” plus serving as a producer on the Broadway musical “A Strange Loop” — and now her efforts are being recognized the USC’s School of Dramatic Arts (Sda).

The Tony Award-winning producer, Emmy-nominated writer, actor and Nyt bestselling author will receive the Multi-Hyphenate Award on Sat., Sept. 17 at the kickoff event for the school’s series of Multi-Hyphenate Masterclasses, 10 co-curricular weekend intensives designed to support the next generation of storytellers on their path to become “media-agile, multi-hyphenate dramatic artists.”

“Mindy Kaling has architected a career path that is unique, sustainable and worthy of emulation by our students. As such, I can think no one better to receive our inaugural Multi-Hyphenate Award” stated Dr. Emily Roxworthy, dean of USC’s School of Dramatic Arts,...