The cast of Sing Sing, directed by Greg Kwedar and co-written by Clint Bentley and Kwedar, will receive The 2024 Gotham Social Justice Tribute at the 34th edition of The Gothams, taking place on Monday, December 2, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
The Gotham Social Justice Tribute was created in order to recognize the talented actors and filmmakers behind the most compelling purpose-driven films taken to the big screen. With this tribute, The Gothams will honor Sing Sing’s phenomenal cast for touching global audiences with the impactful real-life story of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program and its alumni.
“Sing Sing powerfully illuminates the indomitable spirit of those impacted by the systemic challenges of our prison system, while showcasing the profound, transformative power of the arts. The Gotham is honored to present this year’s Social Justice Tribute to such a joyous and groundbreaking project. We look forward to celebrating the cast and visionary team behind this remarkable film, recognizing their work as a catalyst for artistic excellence and social change,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute.
Sing Sing follows a wrongfully convicted Divine G (Colman Domingo) as he finds purpose by acting in a theater group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin) while imprisoned at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility. The stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art based on the real-life program Rehabilitation Through the Arts, stars an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors and alumni of the program.
“I’m so grateful to the Gotham Film & Media Institute for honoring our film and the extraordinary group of artists who all made it possible to bring this story of humanity, strength and brotherhood to the world with such elegance and vulnerability,” said Kwedar.
“We are deeply honored to have been a part of this powerful project alongside such a devoted cast and crew, and grateful to the RTA alumni for joining us, and trusting us to come alongside them to help tell their stories,” added Sing Sing producers Monique Walton and Bentley in a joint statement.
At the end of last month, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, one of the film’s co-stars, was fully exonerated for his wrongful conviction after serving nearly 24 years in prison. Among those at the court showing support for Velazquez were Sing Sing co-stars Clarence Maclin, Sean “Dino” Johnson, Mosi Eagle, Patrick “Preme” Griffin, Kwedar and Buell, and several A24 staffers.
Following a premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, Sing Sing was released by A24 in the U.S. on July 12, 2024. Produced by Walton, Bentley, and Kwedar, executive producers on the project include Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Colman Domingo, Raúl Domingo, Larry Kalas, Larry Kelly, Nancy Schafer, Clarence Maclin, and John ‘Divine G’ Whitfield. Notably, Sing Sing operated on a community-based financial model, where each member of the cast and crew were paid the same rate and have all shared in the upside of the film’s success.
Review: Writer-Director Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain”
It's part comedy, part tragedy. It's part road-trip saga, part odd couple-buddy flick, and part Holocaust film. What could possibly have gone wrong?
Yup – everything could have gone wrong. So the first miracle about "A Real Pain," writer-director Jesse Eisenberg's remarkably accomplished film about mismatched cousins on a somber trip through Poland, is how it pulls off the most delicate of balancing acts.
That it does so while also asking intriguing questions about the nature of pain – personal vs. universal, historic vs. contemporary – is all the more impressive. So is the fact that it showcases an Oscar-worthy performance.
That stunning performance comes from Kieran Culkin, and what's striking is that it doesn't overpower the rest of the ensemble. That's a testament mostly to the careful way Eisenberg, who co-stars in the less flashy role, has constructed and paced his film. And as for Culkin, well, if you needed proof that his searing, Emmy-winning work as tortured live-wire Roman Roy in "Succession" wasn't a fluke, here you have it.
The movie, which is only Eisenberg's second directorial effort, stems from a trip the "Social Network" star took some 20 years ago to Poland. There, he found the tiny house his aunt had lived in before the Holocaust uprooted the family. He wondered what his own life would have been like had World War II never happened.
And that's one of the many conversations that David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) have as they travel through Poland on a mission to visit the house where their grandmother, who has recently died, once lived. (Eisenberg used the exact same house, which tells you just how personal this film was for him.)
It's a poignant but also awkward reunion for the cousins, who were... Read More