Sing Sing, one of 2024’s finest films, is being released in prisons across the US. Meanwhile, the play within the film is heading off-Broadway. A few words on the film’s growing momentum:
Director Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing truly was one of the most remarkable films of 2024. It even made our list of the best films we watched last year, as well as our end of the year recap video on Youtube.
Sing Sing tells the real story of John ‘Divine G’ Whitfield (played by Colman Domingo) and his inmates at the titular prison as they prepare to launch their latest play, Breakin’ The Mummy’s Code. The men are all part of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) programme, still going strong today, producing regular plays that are then performed for the rest of the prison, usually to great success.
Although released in 2024, Sing Sing is showing no signs of slowing down. Domingo is currently one of the frontrunners for Best Actor awards, but more importantly, the film itself is getting another release.
And not just any release. As picked up by The Hollywood Reporter, A24 is releasing Kwedar’s film back in US cinemas and also in prisons across the country. This means that almost a million incarcerated people will have the chance to see a film largely starring people who’ve been in their position. Sing Sing will be released in prisons across 46 states as arranged by RTA and Edovo, a non-profit organization which provides incarcerated people with access to different rehabilitative programs via tablets.
“Storytelling has an incredible way of sparking hope and building connections, even in the toughest circumstances,” Edovo founder and CEO Brian Hill said. “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.”
Read more: Sing Sing review | A powerful ode to the healing power of the arts
This alone would be an excellent news story, but there’s more.
The play within the play, Breakin’ The Mummy’s Code, is also heading to the stage in New York. Variety reports that it will be performed at the New York Theatre Workshop in early February. Kwedar told us last year that Brent Buell, the original director of Breakin’ The Mummy’s Code, has dreams of bringing the play to Broadway, and while the New York Theatre Workshop is off-Broadway, it’s a huge, promising first step to reaching that goal.
J Smith-Cameron, of Succession fame, will be hosting the play, which will also feature a post-performance Q&A. Attendees will consist of people within the New York creative community.
Many of the original performers, who also feature in Sing Sing, will return to reprise their roles in the play. These include Clarence Maclin, Sean ‘Dino’ Johnson, Jon-Adrian ‘JJ’ Velazquez, John ‘Divine G’ Whitfield, Dario Peña, James ‘Big E’ Williams, David ‘Dap’ Giraudy, Miguel Valentin, Cornell ‘Nate’ Alston, Camillo ‘Carmine’ Lovacco, Mosi Eagle, Pedro Cotto, Patrick ‘Preme’ Griffin and Cecily Lyn.
Domingo is a big name, and Kwedar told us just how crucial his input and help was on set, but you might be surprised to find out that the recent Oscar-nominee got paid exactly the same as every other cast member. Every single person on set, be it a PA or a cast member, got paid exactly the same and all also received equity. Clint Bentley, the film’s co-writer and producer, and Kwedar started a new production company, Ethos, which aims to apply the same model to all their projects.
Read more: Interview | Director Greg Kwedar on Sing Sing
The film’s reach clearly goes further than your local cinema. Despite being released in the US in July 2024, Sing Sing has lost none of its momentum. If anything, it’s gaining more as the awards season approaches. Now, awards obviously don’t mean everything, but imagine the impact it could have if Sing Sing took home even just one of those golden statuettes at the Oscars.
It would clearly communicate to incarcerated people that there’s a whole life waiting for them outside prison walls. And not just survival, but success and appreciation. The work the RTA does is hugely important, and films like this prove that there’s so much more to these men than we’re used to seeing on screen in films that are set in prisons.
These kinds of stories are a true joy to write about. Just as you’re inclined to believe Hollywood has no ethical, selfless bone within it, a film like Sing Sing comes along. Films like this are a testament to how important arts are and as the threat of AI looms, Sing Sing is just one of the examples of how AI will never replace the human touch.
Sing Sing is now available on digital platforms in the UK.
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