Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
The film is called “Sing Sing,” and it is screening in a few local theaters.
It’s based on “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson and “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code” by Brent Buell and stars, along with Domingo (also as a producer) and Clarence Maclin, Sean San José, Sean “Dino” Johnson, Jon Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, and Paul Raci.
Press notes read: “Based on the real-life program at New York’s Sing Sing prison called Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), the film features a cast that includes formerly incarcerated men and alumni of the program.”
The movie’s principals’ say that over 80 percent of people held in American jails have not been convicted of a crime and due to systemic racism and classism, language about incarceration places an undue burden on people of color and poor people.
Filmmaker Greg Kwedar searched for what was being done differently in prisons. “Who is doing things differently in prison?” And this led to RTA—a program where recidivism was less than 5 percent for RTA graduates.
Kwedar shared the above articles with the film’s producer Clint Bentley who said: “A lot of people see a prison as good fodder for drama. But we are always trying to take a world that is inherently interesting, but find another way into it,” which in this case meant getting rid of the harsh tropes too often seen in this setting.
The filmmakers were determined to cast as much of this film with the people who really lived it. It wasn’t just a philosophical choice, it was a recognition of the immense talent and pathos of the alumni from RTA.
Maclin, an alumnus of the program, played an even more important part in the film than the screenwriting process. “They had told me they wanted to do a movie about ‘Mummy’s Code,’ with Brent’s involvement,” he recalls. But once Maclin became involved, Kwedar and Bentley saw something in him. “Divine Eye, as a character, is about pure instinct, raw energy,” Kwedar notes, prompting them to ask Maclin to play himself in the movie. “Really, from the day we met him, six years earlier, we both walked away going, ‘THAT is a movie star.’ He had a presence. In my gut of guts, I just knew he could do it.”
Maclin recalls, “I was ecstatic when they offered it to me. I couldn’t wait to do it. It was a passion for me.”
Domingo has been a celebrated actor of late, winning many theatrical awards. In 2023, Domingo starred as Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin in Netflix and Higher Ground’s film “Rustin,” for which he received an Academy Award Nomination, among others. He also played “Mister” in “The Color Purple.”
This fall Domingo will be seen as the lead in the limited series “The Madness.”