Sing Sing
Sing Sing

Sing Sing

Unclassified 18+
Dir. Greg Kwedar / 2023 / 106 mins / USA / English / Drama / Australian Premiere
Program Strand/s: North America

In this SXSW Festival Favorite award-winner, a theatre group finds hope and meaning through self-expression within the confines of a maximum-security prison.

To pass the days while locked up, Divine G spearheads the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, staging Shakespeare productions with other incarcerated men and their director, Brent Buell. When inmate Divine Eye joins the group, their artistic harmony is at first tested by his inability to fully embrace vulnerability. But Divine Eye’s suggestion to turn to comedy sparks ideas and enthusiasm from fellow members, and slowly, the two Divines form a friendship that is as much of a life raft as the program that brought them together.

Inspired by a real-life rehabilitation initiative at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, Greg Kwedar’s second feature is anchored on a stellar performance from Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo as Divine G. He’s joined by a cast of non-professionals who themselves found solace in the program, including the commanding Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin. An eight-year labour of love, the project saw Kwedar and co-writer Clint Bentley undertake research by volunteering as teachers for RTA sessions. The resulting film’s power lies not just in its authenticity but in its warmth: a compassionate eye for depicting real experiences, empathetic performances and a 16mm glow that subverts the clinical renditions of life behind bars so regularly seen onscreen.

“One of the year’s most powerful works … The performances are incredible across the board.” – Mashable

Tickets

16 Aug 9:45pm The Astor Theatre
Access: Wheelchair Accessible
Past Session
Sing Sing (106 m)
Past Session
24 Aug 1:15pm Hoyts Melbourne Central Cinema 11
Access: Assistive listening Wheelchair Accessible
Past Session
Sing Sing (106 m)
Past Session

For information about the accessible services being offered at MIFF, please visit miff.com.au/access. If you require any access service, such as wheelchair/step-free access, for any MIFF session, please call 03 8660 4888 or email boxoffice@miff.com.au to book your ticket.

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