2nd San Quentin Film Festival Sets October Dates, Jury Includes Vanessa Williams, Celine Song, Clarence Maclin
The 2nd Annual San Quentin Film Festival, the first-ever film festival to be held inside a prison, will return to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in Marin County, California on October 23-24, 2025.
The festival was founded by Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, a filmmaker who was previously incarcerated at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, and San Quentin volunteer Cori Thomas (no relation), a playwright, author and WGA member.
“For 2025, the goal is to expand the impact by being more inclusive,” Rahsaan said in a statement. “That starts with finding ways for people incarcerated beyond the walls of San Quentin to participate too.”
“Making it possible for people to experience this population on the basis of what they can do, rather than what they have done, was everything,” (Cori) Thomas says. “Several of the incarcerated filmmakers who participated in the festival have since left prison and now hold internships and paid positions in the industry — something they could have only dreamed of before. We can’t wait for the magic to happen again this year!”
Additionally, the festival has launched an event series titled SQFF Presents, intended to bring screenings, masterclasses and panels to San Quentin throughout the year. In February, Sing Sing writer-director Greg Kwedar and writer-producer Clint Bentley hosted the first event in the series, a six-hour filmmaking workshop about crafting movie scenes on 16mm film. Sing Sing actor Sean San José, Red Rocket star Simon Rex and Hustle & Flow cinematographer Amy Vincent also participated in the workshop, which was supported by A24, Ethos, Be Forward Productions, Panavision and Kodak.
SQFF’s mission is to celebrate the creativity and perspectives of currently and formerly incarcerated filmmakers, offering a transformative platform for San Quentin residents and industry guests alike. Through proximity, interaction, and shared experiences, the festival fosters unique opportunities for professional training, creative collaboration and potential career pathways.
This year’s industry jury includes actress Vanessa Williams, actor Esai Morales, actor Jesse Williams, director Celine Song and more.
This year’s jury also features two formerly incarcerated people: actor and writer Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, who starred in 2024’s Sing Sing, as well as actor, author and poet Richard Cabral, best known for Mayans M.C. and American Crime.
The inaugural festival in 2024 exceeded festival organizers’ hopes and expectations with screenings of the Short Film Finalists, filmmaker panels, lively Q&A exchanges, and Awards Ceremony. Last year’s industry jury included actor Jeffrey Wright, director Elegance Bratton, actor Billy Crudup, director Taylor Hackford, actress Kathy Najimy and journalist Lawrence O’Donnell, among others.
Festival Awards categories:
Best Short Narrative Film Award
Best Short Documentary Film Award
Best Feature Film Award
Bruce Sinofsky Changemaker Award
Elliot the G.O.A.T Impact and Innovation Award
The IDA Supported Artist Award
The American Documentary OSF Short Film Award
The audience will be composed of approximately 150 outside guests, primarily from the entertainment industry, and an equal number of incarcerated residents of San Quentin, affording a unique opportunity for proximity and interaction.
Thursday is the main festival program, including screenings of the Short Film finalists, the Awards Ceremony and Opening Night Film. Over the lunch break, there will be a private area for the media to meet with the incarcerated filmmakers from the San Quentin Media Center.
The Friday program will be a series of screenings, followed by filmmaker panels and ending with the Closing Night Film. We are also hoping to arrange a tour of the SQ Media Center, which houses the San Quentin News, podcast studio and filmmaking program.
Full list of jurors:
Gbenga Akinnagbe, actor and writer (The Wire, The Deuce)
Nnamdi Asomugha, actor and producer (Sylvie’s Love, Crown Heights)
Richard Cabral, formerly incarcerated actor, author and poet (Mayans M.C., American Crime)
Chad Coleman, actor (The Walking Dead, Superman & Lois)
Rachel Dretzin (Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, Who Killed Malcolm X)
Tony Gerber, director and producer (Jane, War Game)
Chester Gordon, writer and producer (The Inspection, Pier Kids)
Mark Anthony Green, director and former editor of GQ (Opus)
Clarence Maclin, formerly incarcerated writer and actor (Sing Sing)
Debra Moore Munoz, writer and producer (Mayans M.C., Westworld)
Esai Morales (La Bamba, Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning)
Tia Nomore, actor and rapper (Earth Mama)
Christina Oh, producer (Minari, The Last Black Man in San Francisco)
Emil Pinnock, actor, director and producer (Up North, Beloved)
Isaiah Saxon, director and producer (The Legend of Ochi)
Kyra Sedgwick, actor and director (The Closer, Story of A Girl)
Celine Song, director and writer (Past Lives, Materialists)
Claudia Weill, actor and director of film, TV and theater (Girlfriends, It’s My Turn)
Jesse Williams, actor and producer (Grey’s Anatomy, Two Distant Strangers)
Vanessa Williams, actor, producer and singer (Ugly Betty, Eraser)
Debra Winger, actor (Terms of Endearment, An Officer and a Gentleman)
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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