First Look Trailer for ‘Beyond’ Prison Doc Produced by Clarence Maclin
by Alex Billington
November 14, 2025
Source: YouTube
“Every single man here deserves the hope of becoming someone better.” An impressive festival trailer has debuted online for a documentary film titled Beyond, made by directors Asia Johnson & Michael Kleiman. This is premiering coming up this weekend at the 2025 DOC NYC Film Festival in the city. It’s a refreshing follow-up to the acclaimed, Oscar-nominated film Sing Sing from a few years ago, and it is also executive produced by Clarence Maclin, who starred in that film as “Divine Eye”. Beyond tells the story of a group of men at Sing Sing prison (in NY State), as they organize and prepare for a TED Talk-style event, featuring personal narratives & ideas for changing the prison system. Powerful, heartbreaking, ultimately uplifting, the doc follows a group of incarcerated men as they get ready for their event called “Beyond the Block” (watch all the videos here). From filmmakers Asia Johnson (who was previously incarcerated) and Michael Kleinman, this film Beyond is a very timely examination of the myriad issues within the American prison industrial complex & the ways in which progress is slowly being made from the inside out. This looks good.
Here’s the first look trailer for Asia Johnson & Michael Kleiman’s doc film Beyond, direct from YouTube:
Intro via DOC NYC: “The men behind the prison walls of Sing Sing Correctional Facility find a much-needed outlet in Beyond the Block, a TED-style public speaking symposium. Conceived and developed by an incarcerated planning committee, the event allows participants to explore their humanity in otherwise adverse circumstances. Beyond follows the presenters, from auditions to triumphant moments on stage, as they express their truths in front of an audience of policy-makers, prison officials, and loved ones.” Beyond is a documentary film produced and directed by filmmakers Asia Johnson (making her first feature film after many other shorts) & Michael Kleiman (director of The Last Survivor, Web previously). Executive produced by Clarence Maclin & JJ Velazquez. This is premiering at the 2025 DOC NYC Film Festival – for tickets to screenings, visit docnyc.net. For more info on the doc, visit the film’s official site. Want to watch?
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