Letter from the SQFF25 Event Team

This year, SQFF received more than 60 film submissions from across the country and expanded the Screenplay and Documentary Pitch Competition beyond San Quentin to include other California State Prisons. Submissions arrived from incarcerated writers at CCWF, CIW, Corcoran, Mule Creek, Pelican Bay, and Solano. But it didn’t stop there—word of this unique creative opportunity spread far beyond California, reaching Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility and Sterling Correctional Facility in Colorado, and even the Mississippi State Penitentiary. We were deeply moved by the letters of gratitude we received from participants who were able to share their stories beyond the walls.

We also launched our year-round initiative, SQFF PRESENTS, hosting screenings and filmmaker conversations inside San Quentin. With the generous support of A24, Kodak, and Panavision, we offered an exceptional series of training workshops and master classes for filmmakers at the San Quentin Media Center. These were led by acclaimed directors Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley, cinematographer Amy Vincent, Oscar-winning film editor Paul Rogers, Skywalker Sound editors Mac Smith and Ronni Pippin, and actor, writer, and producer Leland Orser.

In April, SQFF PRESENTS was invited to screen the six 2024 Short Film Finalists at a special event at Tribeca, hosted by co-founders Cori Thomas and Rahsaan “New York” Thomas. The screening featured a powerful panel with the formerly incarcerated directors of those films.

Two San Quentin Media Center filmmakers—Raheem Ballard and Dante Jones, whose short films were finalists in last year’s competition—were released earlier this year and traveled to New York for the Tribeca screening. They join us today as honored industry guests. They are accompanied by 2024 Inside Juror Jay Kim, who began a six-month internship with A24 after connecting with the company during last year’s festival.

The work continues.

We are profoundly grateful to every San Quentin resident who contributed creatively and as part of the Event Team to make this festival possible. Our heartfelt thanks also go to our donors, industry jurors, advisory board members, volunteers, and to all of you—our community—for your continued support and engagement.

Thank you for helping us showcase the transformative power of film.