A closer look at ‘Sing Sing’ and why it’s a Best Picture Oscars front-runner

Those who have been paying attention to this year’s recently launched Gold Derby Oscar predictions may have noticed the movie “Sing Sing” mentioned in a number of categories, most notably, as the current front-runner for Best Picture. As of this writing more than 1,400 people have predicted “Sing Sing” to be nominated for Best Picture, and more than 800 have predicted it to win.

Unlike many of the movies that are already in the Oscar discussion this year, “Sing Sing” didn’t premiere at Sundance in January or Cannes in May. No, the movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) back in September 2023 before screening at March’s SXSW Film and TV Festival. It tells the true story of John “Divine G” Whitfield, as played by Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (“Rustin”), and his role in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program at the Sing Sing correctional facility. As they try to put on an original comedy production, Divine G encounters a brash younger man named “Divine Eye,” played by Clarence Maclin, a former member of the RTA program essentially playing a version of himself.

Director Greg Kwedar (“Transpecos”) wrote the screenplay with his creative partner, Clint Bentley, after reading about the RTA program in an Esquire article called “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson. The movie also incorporates the original comedy play “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code,” as written by Brent Buell (played in the movie by Oscar nominee Paul Raci from “Sound of Metal”).

It’s not unheard of for a movie that premiered at TIFF to be released and nominated for awards more than a year later. That was the case with both “Crash” and “The Hurt Locker”; both of those Best Picture winners debuted at TIFF, but then weren’t released until the following summer, so they received their Oscar nominations the next January, 16 months after their world premieres. It’s uncommon for this to happen, for sure, but the fact that it has happened before keeps “Sing Sing” very much alive in the conversation.

The movie is currently rated 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, showing the type of widespread critical support that often leads to awards, and Domingo is way ahead of the pack to win the Oscar for Best Actor just a year after being nominated for playing the title civil rights organizer in “Rustin.” Perhaps A24 held the release of “Sing Sing” knowing Domingo might get nominated for that movie as well.

Newcomer Clarence Maclin is only behind Samuel L. Jackson (“The Piano Lesson”) in Gold Derby’s Best Supporting Actor odds, and there are also many who believe the movie’s adapted screenplay is in the lead to win its category. A lot of this comes down to the power of the storytelling and the performances by the cast that’s mostly made up of current and former members of the RTA program, all doing such powerful work that the movie could get a SAG ensemble nomination despite it not having that many actual SAG members amongst its cast.

One place where “Sing Sing” may fall behind is in below-the-line categories — Sound, Editing, Cinematography, etc. — because it’s more focused on character and acting, although it does have a great original score by Bryce Dessner of The National, and it also ends with an original song that could get a nomination since it really seals the deal in capturing the power of the film.

This past weekend A24 opened “Sing Sing” in four theaters in New York and L.A., after which the distributor is planning a nationwide release on August 2. We’ll have to see how it connects with moviegoers to get a better idea of what kind of chance A24 really has with this one as an Oscar contender, but it still has many months to be seen by academy voters. So far, though, Gold Derby Experts, Editors and Top Users feel that “Sing Sing” has many of the qualities that make a Best Picture, so maybe it will follow the likes of “CODA,” “Nomadland,” and other smaller indies that have managed to take on bigger studio movies.

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