December 03, 2024
Provided image/Zoey Kang/A24
'Sing Sing' is returning to movie theaters on Jan. 17 after its summer release. Colman Domingo, who grew up in West Philly, is a leading Oscar contender for best actor.
The A24 drama follows a group of men incarcerated at New York's Sing Sing Correctional Facility who find meaning through a theater program at the prison. It was released in July to rave reviews, particularly for Domingo's role as inmate John "Divine G" Whitfield. Now, it's getting a second run ahead of the 2025 Oscars. "Sing Sing" will be back on the big screen starting Jan. 17, according to Variety.
The movie was inspired by Rehabilitation Through the Arts, a real-life program that mounts productions in the prison system. Some RTA alums are featured in the movie, playing versions of themselves. They include Jon-Adrian Velazquez, who served 24 years over a wrongful conviction, and Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin.
Maclin and Domingo picked up awards for their performances Sunday at the Gotham Awards. Domingo dedicated his win to his formerly incarcerated co-stars, who "found art to be the parachute that could save them."
"Let's keep doing the work, doing work that really matters, that makes a difference," he said. "That's what we can do right now. That can be the light in the darkness, and we know that. And so please hang onto that, as these men have shown me they've hung onto it."
The West Philly native is considered a lock for a best actor nomination at the Oscars and could take home the golden trophy. His main competition at the moment is Adrien Brody ("The Brutalist") and Ralph Fiennes ("Conclave"), according to Hollywood awards predictor Gold Derby.
Domingo earned his first Academy Award nomination earlier this year for "Rustin," a biopic of the West Chester civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. He most recently starred in the Netflix limited series "The Madness."
Studios will often re-release their Oscar contenders closer to the awards show, particularly if the movie's initial run was earlier in the year. The recent A24 best picture winner "Everything Everywhere All At Once" returned to theaters twice after its original March 2022 debut.
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