Sing Sing Interview: Colman Domingo, Paul Raci and Co-Director Clint Bentley

At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Colman Domingo (Candyman) joins writer and co-director Clint Bentley and costars Clarence Maclin and Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) to celebrate their film Sing Sing from co-director Greg Kwedar. The crew stopped by Collider’s studio at the Cinema Center by MARBL to talk with editor-in-chief Steve Weintraub about bringing such an important film to audiences and the potential it has to raise awareness for serious issues within the prison system.

Sing Sing tells an inspired story based on the real lives of the Sing Sing Correctional Facility’s inmates and enlists the talent of the formerly incarcerated. Domingo stars as Divine G, a prisoner who assumes a leadership role in the facility’s theatre workshop, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), held every six months when the inmates gather together to choose their next play. Through their performances, the men find connection and joy, and when Divine G recruits a new member, Divine Eye (Maclin), his suggestion to perform a comedy creates a shift in the group dynamics. Not far into their production, Divine G sees the new member’s struggle with opening up to the troupe and, while planning for his upcoming clemency hearing, attempts to bond with Divine Eye. The group allows the men to unpack their painful experiences while escaping to fantastical worlds outside the walls of the facility.

During their interview, Bentley shares a little about the profit participation model they utilized to ensure that everyone on set, from the lead star to the PAs, were equally paid for their time and contributions to the film. The payment process was in line with Sing Sing’s themes, as well as hiring former inmates whose participation in the RTA program made this inspirational story possible, and costar Maclin shares his experience with the actual program and its benefits. To find out more about filming on location, how Domingo got involved, and the ways Sing Sing changed in the edit.

#singsing #colmandomingo #paulraci

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