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TOP TEN FILMS OF 2024

2024 was a complicated year for film. The aftershocks of the industry strikes were deeply felt, shifting countless productions and leaving gaps in the release calendar, just as the rise of concerns over things like A.I. really took hold. It felt like a transition year in many places. A marker between past and future with the present was anything but certain. The MCU, for instance, released only one film whereas the SSU dropped three, before dropping dead entirely. Yet, even amidst industry turbulence, a number of nothing short of remarkable films emerged—entries that will no doubt remain in rotation on the queue for years to come. It was a year of resilience and creativity, with filmmakers continuing to push boundaries, challenge conventions, and deliver unforgettable stories on the silver screen, despite the myriad challenges to the art form. Read More

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SIFF ‘24 Capsule Review: ‘SING SING’ Frees the Humanity Incarcerated Within

Based on the true story of the Sing Sing prison’s “Rehabilitation Through the Arts” program, Greg Kwedar’s sensitively-told American drama is a profound act of cinematic grace. Colman Domingo, in yet another towering performance, stars as Divine G, a wrongfully jailed playwright who works with the prison population to put on theatrical productions and find a semblance of peace – and themselves – through the process. Both life-affirming and quietly devastating, Sing Sing probes the nuances of the indomitable human spirit, in a place where autonomy is a lost luxury, adding authenticity in spades by casting real-life formerly incarcerated men like Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin and Sean San José. (A-)

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