# Sing Sing (2024 film)
**Sing Sing** is a 2024 American prison drama directed by [Greg Kwedar](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-kwedar), in which a man imprisoned at Sing Sing Correctional Facility for a crime he did not commit finds purpose acting in a theater group with other incarcerated men. It stars [Colman Domingo](https://www.edgepedia.org/colman-domingo), Clarence Maclin, Sean San José, and Paul Raci, alongside an ensemble of formerly incarcerated actors, and was distributed in the United States by A24 with a theatrical release on July 12, 2024.[1](https://a24films.com/films/sing-sing) • [2](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/sing-sing/I2F0wthOGDf68eLciowVN2/where-to-watch/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Directed by Greg Kwedar; screenplay by Kwedar and Clint Bentley; story also credited to Clarence Maclin and John "Divine G" Whitfield, based on John H. Richardson's Esquire article "The Sing Sing Follies" and Brent Buell's play *Breakin' The Mummy's Code*[3](https://www.hulu.com/movie/sing-sing-36b91b6a-0491-47bd-b8d9-5161def8a099) |
| Cast | Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San José, Paul Raci, and Sean Dino Johnson, with an ensemble of formerly incarcerated actors[1](https://a24films.com/films/sing-sing) • [4](https://blackbearpictures.com/film-and-tv/sing-sing) |
| Release | US theaters July 12, 2024; digital January 31, 2025; streaming debut exclusively on Max in the US on March 21, 2025[2](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/sing-sing/I2F0wthOGDf68eLciowVN2/where-to-watch/) • [5](https://press.wbd.com/ca/media-release/hbo-max/a24s-academy-award-nominee-sing-sing-begins-streaming-exclusively-max-march-21) |
| Running time | 1 hour 47 minutes[1](https://a24films.com/films/sing-sing) |
| Academy Awards | Three nominations at the 97th Academy Awards: Actor in a Leading Role (Domingo), Adapted Screenplay, and Original Song; no wins[6](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/38910ac50c67d210a9d6f1f3a9751e22) |
| Critical reception | 97% Tomatometer from 214 reviews and a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sing_sing) |
| Real program | Based on Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), founded at Sing Sing in 1996; participants have a 3 percent recidivism rate versus over 60 percent for other incarcerated people[9](https://doccs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2019/12/dt2019spring-summerweb.pdf) • [10](https://www.motionpictures.org/2024/07/all-the-worlds-a-stage-the-team-behind-sing-sing-on-crafting-a-powerful-human-drama/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and basis
The film follows Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at [Sing Sing](https://www.edgepedia.org/sing-sing) for a crime he did not commit, who finds purpose acting in a theater group with other incarcerated men. When a wary outsider joins the group, the men decide to stage their first original comedy, in a story about resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.[1](https://a24films.com/films/sing-sing) That production is *Breakin' The Mummy's Code*, a time-jumping play blending elements of Shakespeare and pantomime, and the film follows the prisoners staging it from inception to opening night.[4](https://blackbearpictures.com/film-and-tv/sing-sing) • [11](https://rta-arts.org/blog/press-page-sing-sing-film/) Early scenes show the group brainstorming what the new play should contain, with members pitching cowboys, ancient Egypt, and even the character [Freddy Krueger](https://www.edgepedia.org/freddy-krueger).[12](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/07/sing-sing-movie-review/679047/)
The story is drawn from real events. Director Greg Kwedar, who wrote the script with [Clint Bentley](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-bentley), first encountered the protagonist in John H. Richardson's 2005 Esquire article "The Sing Sing Follies"; the real John "Divine G" Whitfield receives a story credit and a cameo in the film.[13](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/07/22/sing-sing-movie-review) The theater group depicted is Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), a not-for-profit program that began at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York. New York State Department of Corrections materials and a [Vassar College](https://www.edgepedia.org/vassar-college) study give its founding year as 1996, while an ABC News report says 1995.[9](https://doccs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2019/12/dt2019spring-summerweb.pdf) • [14](https://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/sites/default/files/2022-01/Prison_theater_how_drama_programs_in_correctional_facilities_challenge_the_roots_of_the_prison_industrial_complex_0.pdf) • [15](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-14/sing-sing-colman-domingo-interview/104791974) RTA uses workshops in theater, dance, music, creative writing, and visual arts, led by professional teaching artists, to help members build life skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, and discipline.[9](https://doccs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2019/12/dt2019spring-summerweb.pdf)
## Casting and production
**Formerly incarcerated actors.** The film stars professional performers alongside a cast of formerly incarcerated men who took part in RTA in real life.[1](https://a24films.com/films/sing-sing) • [16](https://apnews.com/article/6d78b9006e2738ccffde490d17b91baf) [Clarence Maclin](https://www.edgepedia.org/clarence-maclin), who plays a version of himself, did not know he had a knack for acting until he was in prison, where he found the RTA program and an appreciation for Shakespeare; his experience provided the inspiration for the film.[16](https://apnews.com/article/6d78b9006e2738ccffde490d17b91baf) The film was shot at a decommissioned prison in Fishkill, New York; RTA alumnus Jon Adrian "JJ" Velazquez stepped onto set ten months after his release from Sing Sing.[17](https://time.com/7085875/j-j-velazquez-sing-sing-exoneration/)
The production's pay structure was unusual. Director Greg Kwedar said that everyone in the core cast and crew worked for the same rate and that all collectively own the movie.[18](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-21/sing-sing-review-colman-domingo/104837378) Kwedar, producer Monique Walton, and the formerly incarcerated actors cited the program's outcomes in discussing the project: the recidivism rate for RTA participants is 3 percent, compared with over 60 percent for other incarcerated people.[10](https://www.motionpictures.org/2024/07/all-the-worlds-a-stage-the-team-behind-sing-sing-on-crafting-a-powerful-human-drama/)
## Release
A24 acquired US rights to the film after its [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival) premiere in September 2023.[4](https://blackbearpictures.com/film-and-tv/sing-sing) It opened in US theaters on July 12, 2024, became available digitally on January 31, 2025, and reached television on February 22, 2025.[2](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/sing-sing/I2F0wthOGDf68eLciowVN2/where-to-watch/) The film made its streaming debut exclusively on Max in the United States on March 21, 2025.[5](https://press.wbd.com/ca/media-release/hbo-max/a24s-academy-award-nominee-sing-sing-begins-streaming-exclusively-max-march-21) [Availability](https://www.edgepedia.org/availability) has since varied by country: in the Netherlands it streams on NLZiet and Prime Video, in Poland on Prime Video, Player, and Polsat Box Go, and in the United States on Max, JustWatch TV Plus, and History Vault, while it is not on a subscription service in the United Kingdom.[19](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/sing-sing) • [20](https://www.justwatch.com/pl/film/sing-sing) • [21](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/sing-sing-2024-1155828)
## Reception and awards
The film won the Audience Award, chosen by audience vote, at the SXSW Film Festival in March 2024.[22](https://gaga.ne.jp/singsing/about/) It won a 2024 Gotham Independent Film Award and received Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations for Best Feature, Best Lead Performance, and Best Supporting Performance.[23](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28479262/awards/) • [24](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/PressReleasesSA/2025_SA_NomineeRelease_020425.pdf)
At the 97th Academy Awards, honoring films of 2024, Colman Domingo was nominated for Actor in a Leading Role, and the film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song; it won none of the three.[6](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/38910ac50c67d210a9d6f1f3a9751e22) It also received nominations at the 2025 Golden Globes (Best [Performance](https://www.edgepedia.org/performance) by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama), the BAFTA Awards (Adapted [Screenplay](https://www.edgepedia.org/screenplay), Leading Actor, Supporting Actor), and the Critics Choice Awards (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Acting Ensemble).[4](https://blackbearpictures.com/film-and-tv/sing-sing)
Critics praised the ensemble. Rotten Tomatoes records a 97% Tomatometer from 214 reviews and a 98% audience score, with the critics consensus calling it "a moving celebration of art's redemptive power" anchored by Domingo's performance.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sing_sing) The Associated Press's review described it as "a cinematic high-five to all arts programs behind bars".[7](https://apnews.com/article/38910ac50c67d210a9d6f1f3a9751e22) Some reviews were more reserved: the [Australian Broadcasting Corporation](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-broadcasting-corporation)'s critic called it "an extraordinary story hobbled by deeply ordinary filmmaking" while still recommending the ensemble.[18](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-21/sing-sing-review-colman-domingo/104837378)
## Rehabilitation Through the Arts
RTA operates on the principle that theater can be a channel for self-development, working to "help people in prison develop critical life skills through the arts, modeling an approach to the justice system based on human dignity rather than punishment".[25](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a61899926/sing-sing-true-story-rehabilitation-arts-program/) At the time the film depicts, the Sing Sing program was led by Brent Buell, a theater director and the real-life playwright behind *Mummy's Code*; Paul Raci plays a character based on him.[25](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a61899926/sing-sing-true-story-rehabilitation-arts-program/) • [13](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/07/22/sing-sing-movie-review) The organization has since worked in five New York State prisons with volunteer-led programs, and a prisoner-led steering committee selects participants who have committed to change and can work with others.[26](https://irenetaylortrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/sara-lee-wcmt-report.pdf)
The film's release drew new attention to the program. RTA alumni including Whitfield, Velazquez, and Dario Peña built an impact campaign around the film to promote conversation about mass incarceration and the power of healing.[17](https://time.com/7085875/j-j-velazquez-sing-sing-exoneration/)
## References
1. [Sing Sing, A24](https://a24films.com/films/sing-sing)
2. [Sing Sing (2025) – Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/sing-sing/I2F0wthOGDf68eLciowVN2/where-to-watch/)
3. [Watch Sing Sing Streaming Online, Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/movie/sing-sing-36b91b6a-0491-47bd-b8d9-5161def8a099)
4. [Sing Sing Movie, Black Bear Pictures](https://blackbearpictures.com/film-and-tv/sing-sing)
5. [A24's Academy Award Nominee SING SING Begins Streaming Exclusively On Max March 21, Warner Bros. Discovery Pressroom](https://press.wbd.com/ca/media-release/hbo-max/a24s-academy-award-nominee-sing-sing-begins-streaming-exclusively-max-march-21)
6. [The 97th Academy Awards, Oscars.org](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025)
7. [What to stream, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/38910ac50c67d210a9d6f1f3a9751e22)
8. [Sing Sing, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sing_sing)
9. [Rehabilitation through the Arts, NY DOCCS newsletter](https://doccs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2019/12/dt2019spring-summerweb.pdf)
10. [All the World's a Stage: The Team Behind "Sing Sing", The Credits](https://www.motionpictures.org/2024/07/all-the-worlds-a-stage-the-team-behind-sing-sing-on-crafting-a-powerful-human-drama/)
11. [Select Press Coverage of SING SING, Rehabilitation Through the Arts](https://rta-arts.org/blog/press-page-sing-sing-film/)
12. [Not Your Typical Prison Drama, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/07/sing-sing-movie-review/679047/)
13. ["Sing Sing" Puts a Prison Theatre Program in the Spotlight, The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/07/22/sing-sing-movie-review)
14. [Prison theater: how drama programs in correctional facilities challenge the roots of the prison industrial complex, Vassar College Digital Library](https://digitallibrary.vassar.edu/sites/default/files/2022-01/Prison_theater_how_drama_programs_in_correctional_facilities_challenge_the_roots_of_the_prison_industrial_complex_0.pdf)
15. [Sing Sing tells a remarkable true story of a prison theatre program, ABC News (Australia)](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-14/sing-sing-colman-domingo-interview/104791974)
16. [Summer Movies: 5 breakout stars, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/6d78b9006e2738ccffde490d17b91baf)
17. [JJ Velazquez on Finding Freedom, From Sing Sing to Sing Sing, Time](https://time.com/7085875/j-j-velazquez-sing-sing-exoneration/)
18. [Sing Sing is a feelgood prison drama that doesn't quite hit the right note, ABC News (Australia)](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-21/sing-sing-review-colman-domingo/104837378)
19. [Waar kan ik Sing Sing kijken?, waarkanikdatkijken.nl](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/sing-sing)
20. [Sing Sing – streaming, JustWatch Poland](https://www.justwatch.com/pl/film/sing-sing)
21. [Where to watch Sing Sing (2024), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/sing-sing-2024-1155828)
22. [About the movie, 映画『シンシン／SING SING』公式サイト](https://gaga.ne.jp/singsing/about/)
23. [Sing Sing – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28479262/awards/)
24. [2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominees](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/PressReleasesSA/2025_SA_NomineeRelease_020425.pdf)
25. [The Inside Story of Sing Sing's Rehabilitation Through the Arts Program, ELLE](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a61899926/sing-sing-true-story-rehabilitation-arts-program/)
26. [Rehabilitation through the Arts, Irene Taylor Trust report](https://irenetaylortrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/sara-lee-wcmt-report.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2023 and 2024 › Titles O to Y*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license