(NewsNation) — The A24 movie “Sing Sing,” based on a group of incarcerated men creating theatrical stage shows, will be the first film to be released simultaneously in both theaters and prisons across the country.
The film rereleased Friday in cinemas and correctional facilities in California, New York, Texas and 43 other states, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the side-by-side screening.
The rerelease comes as a collaboration between production company A24, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, the nonprofit organization on which the film is based, and Edovo, a nonprofit learning platform for incarcerated people to access via tablets in correctional facilities, the outlet reported.
“Storytelling has an incredible way of sparking hope and building connections, even in the toughest circumstances,” Brian Hill, CEO of Edovo, told the outlet. “With ‘Sing Sing,’ we’re giving incarcerated individuals an opportunity to see themselves in a story of resilience and transformation and to feel inspired to imagine new possibilities for their own lives.”
“Sing Sing” stars former inmates, as well as actor Colman Domingo, who portrays an incarcerated man who helps lead a theater program at the nearly two-centuries-old maximum-security prison 30 miles upriver from New York City.
It was originally released last summer and made $2.9 million at the box office.
Several formerly incarcerated performers, the majority alumni of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, are in the film, including Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin and Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez.
“My journey through education and the arts gave me hope during my wrongful conviction, restoring my faith in humanity, sparking a culture of redemption during my incarceration,” Velazquez said.
Velazquez was exonerated last year after serving nearly 24 years before being granted clemency.
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A Manhattan judge vacated his wrongful conviction in the killing of retired New York City police officer Albert Ward during a robbery in 1998. Prosecutors cited newly discovered DNA evidence that they argued cleared Velazquez’s name.
After A24 acquired the film in 2023, the studio held the premiere inside the Sing Sing Correctional Facility, screening it for an audience of incarcerated men as part of the San Quentin Film Festival, which is the first film festival ever held inside a U.S. prison, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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