SING SING

Scheduled to attend: Clarence Maclin (Breakthrough Performer), Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez (cast)

Clarence Maclin will receive the Breakthrough Performer Award at this screening. Learn more.

Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin reflects, “My life was influenced by hip-hop, but I was drawn to the negative parts of a beautiful culture.” In 1995, he was incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where he joined the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, debuting in ‘Twelve Angry Men.’ After earning an associate’s degree in Behavioral Psychology from Mercy College, Maclin has since worked as a youth counselor, creative arts specialist, and gang intervention specialist, and now serves as an RTA mentor.

In SING SING, filmmakers Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley focused on the bond between RTA members John “Divine G” Whitfield and Maclin, with Maclin making his film debut and executive producing. Premiering at TIFF 2023 and winning the Festival Favorite Award at SXSW 2024, SING SING was released in July 2024 to critical and popular acclaim.

Robert Daniels praised Maclin’s debut as “deeply felt, magnetic, emotionally and physically attuned.” Maclin’s journey underscores his belief: “If we never take the time to invest in others, we’ll never see the beauty they possess on the inside… That’s where the world misses out.”