Colman Domingo's Emotional Tribute at the Santa Barbara Film Festival

Santa Barbara, Calif.— The Arlington Theater was filled with emotion as Colman Domingo was brought to tears during a heartfelt tribute from Film Festival Executive Director Roger Durling. It has taken many years for Domingo to receive the recognition he deserves for his outstanding career. This year’s breakout performance in “Sing Sing” has truly captivated audiences. The film, inspired by real events, tells the story of a man wrongfully imprisoned at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York. Finding a new purpose, Colman Domingo’s character collaborates with an outsider to stage a unique comedy with a theater group comprised of fellow inmates. The movie highlights the transformative power of the arts in the process of rehabilitation.

“Filling someone with that creative energy and giving them tools they never knew they had or were hidden deep within them is what true rehabilitation is about,” Colman Domingo explained. The film’s ensemble includes many actors who have experienced incarceration and the real-life program the movie portrays.

“It humanized the process and offered incredible perspective into the lives behind those prison walls,” stated Goldyn P. Smith, Founder of Xposure Magazine. “These men have families and emotions, and being incarcerated doesn’t erase those,” added Zuri Wilson, a Journalism student at UCSB.

“Sing Sing” has received three Oscar nominations.