Sing Sing
Inspiring drama about a wrongly convicted prisoner who finds new meaning in life by joining a theatre group with other prisoners. Made with a cast of former prisoners. Winner of the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival.
Based on the real-life arts rehabilitation programme founded at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Greg Kwedar’s film follows a troupe of incarcerated actors who work on a play as part of a theatre workshop at the prison. Every six months, the men gather in a circle of chairs, often looking to Divine G to help decide their next play. When he recruits a new member called Divine Eye, he gets more than he bargained for. The group’s dynamic begins to shift as Divine Eye suggests they do a comedy for the first time, prompting the men to throw out a jumble of wild ideas – from pirate ships to Roman gladiators to Old West gunfights. Flustered at first, Divine G quickly starts to see Divine Eye’s discomfort with the vulnerability required for what seems like a silly pursuit. While planning for his own clemency hearing, he tries to forge a connection with Eye, as the men collectively unpack the pain of their experience while undergoing the joy and escape of creativity.
Colman Domingo gives one of the most memorable and affecting performances of his career, bolstered by a cast made up almost entirely of formerly incarcerated actors and alumni of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts programme. (source: www.tiff.net)