Sing Sing is not your typical prison movie. It isn’t about emphasizing the base cruelty of being behind bars, it isn’t about the violence of such places, nor is it about some scheme to break out. Filmmaker Greg Kwedar’s beautiful, soulful drama is about brotherhood among incarcerated men and the healing power of the creative arts. The film is based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison, a program with branches throughout the country that have proven successful in changing the lives of those who participate.
Written and directed by Kwedar from a script he co-wrote with Clint Bentley, Sing Sing is led by Oscar-nominated actors Colman Domingo and Paul Raci. However, much of the cast are alumni of the RTA and formerly incarcerated men, all of them delivering powerful, deeply personal performances. Colman plays John “Divine G” Whitfield, an experienced theatre actor and writer who leads the program’s annual production while also dealing with the circumstances of his incarceration.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Greg Kwedar about Sing Sing, how he first learned of the RTA and the experiences of these men, his time spent volunteering in the program, and the decision to cast the film with RTA alumni.
Also, I spoke with two of the film’s most impressive actors, Sean ‘Dino’ Johnson, and Jon Adrian ‘JJ’ Velazquez. We talked about playing versions of themselves in the film, and what it was like going back behind those walls with a positive message to spread and not due to recidivism.
An apology, also, because the interview with Johnson and Velazquez was accidentally cut and the first minute or so was lost. That was my mistake, and my apology is to the actors who had a really funny joke there that you only get to hear the punchline!
Sing Sing is in theaters now, and will expand nationwide including DC on August 2nd.
