On March 28, 2026, SQFF will host SQFF PRESENTS @ CCWF at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla—our first-ever event held inside a women’s prison.

We are partnering closely with the CCWF Media Center team, home of the pioneering prison newspaper CCWF Paper Trail, to produce the event. The festival will feature screenings, filmmaker conversations, and an awards ceremony centered on a Screenplay and Documentary Pitch Competition that will be judged by an industry jury. The pitch competition is open exclusively to writers at CCWF and the California Institution for Women (CIW), the two women’s prisons in the state.

Celebrating the creativity and perspectives of currently and formerly incarcerated people through filmmaking is central to SQFF’s mission. By creating a platform for proximity and interaction, SQFF aims to open doors to professional training, creative collaboration, and meaningful career pathways.

This historic event represents an important step in expanding access, visibility, and opportunity through the art of storytelling