JMS Screening Circle to Feature the Film "Sing Sing"

This May, incarcerated students at Centinela State Prison will graduate for the first time from the San Diego State University School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS). With that in mind, JMS chose the feature film “Sing Sing” as a perfect fit for their March 11 Screening Circle. 

“Sing Sing” tells the real-life story of the prison theater program Rehabilitation Through the Arts — with alumni playing themselves.

“Usually when you see media portrayals of prisoners, they are people who look scary and mean,” said JMS Marketing and Events Coordinator Faye Ogawa. “This (film), I think, really represents what real-life prisoners look like, and what they act like and who they can be.”

The JMS Screening Circle will take place Tuesday, Mar. 11 at 5:00 p.m. in the Aztec Student Union Theatre.

“I think this one hits home a little bit more than the rest of our screening circles,” Ogawa said. “Just because we have this program with the Centinela prison, and this is the first year that students will be graduating from the program. That's really exciting for us.”

Participating in SDSU’s Valuing Incarcerated Students through Academia program, students take classes from JMS taught using the same curriculum as those on the main campus.

Students can earn “their bachelor's in Journalism and Media Studies,” Ogawa said. “With this film, we thought it would align with our Screening Circle goals. Screening Circle is all about highlighting marginalized communities.”

Ogawa hopes that this film and the ensuing discussion will change people’s feelings toward incarcerated people who are working toward a degree.

“The media usually negatively represents incarcerated people and this is a great film that represents this community,” Ogawa said. “...  We hope that our campus community can gain a new perspective and are able to take that with them.”