Our first-ever event outside the walls of San Quentin took place on March 28th at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. 

The one-day festival featured screenings of SQFF25 award-winning films, a Filmmaker Panel hosted by W. Kamau Bell and a Women In Film Panel, hosted by CCWF’s Lakisha “Kiki” Crowder featuring writer/director Tracie Laymon (Bob Trevino Likes It), producer Christina Oh (Minari), director Dee Rees (Mudbound), writer/director Christine Swanson (Albany Road) and cinematographer Amy Vincent (Song Sung Blue).

A highlight of the day-long event was the Awards Ceremony announcing the winners of the Screenplay and Documentary Pitch Competition, which was open exclusively to residents of CCWF and the California Institution for Women (CIW), the only two women’s prisons in the state.  

Produced in partnership with nonprofit Pollen Initiative, which established and supports the CCWF Media Center, and its award-winning prison newspaper CCWF Paper Trail, which recently celebrated its first anniversary. The event was led by SQFF and Pollen in collaboration with the CCWF incarcerated leadership team and staff of Paper Trail.