Written by Zoe Crombie

When you’re watching a film, you’re asked to identify with all kinds of people, including some who are rarely, if ever, presented in the media as individuals worth empathising with. This goes for many films shown at The Dukes, including the refugees of Io Capitano, the stretched-thin nanny of Ama Gloria, and now the inmates of the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in a film named for its infamous setting.

Starring the critically acclaimed Colman Domingo in another intense performance as a falsely imprisoned man who finds purpose through a theatre program, Sing Sing also features numerous actors who were real life alumni of the group playing themselves, now demonstrating their talents through the film itself. This sense of realism is bolstered by Greg Kwedar’s direction and Pat Scola’s cinematography, which humanises these men and their art, not giving in to the cinematic cliches that have contributed to their historic demonisation.

Asking you to understand some of the most maligned people in society, Sing Sing is a bold project that seeks to challenge its audience beyond their expectations for a prison film. Though Domingo is the biggest name on the posters, the ensemble is its main strength, lending the screen to a group of seldom seen artists and telling their story in a truly humanist way.

See Sing Sing at The Dukes on the 1st & 2nd October

Showtimes and Tickets