No standing ovation at the Cannes or Sundance film festivals could align the one-of-a-kind emotional intensity of one dedwellred to a filmoriginater named B. Raheem Ballard on Thursday afternoon inside a stuffy chapel at San Quentin.
That morning, Ballard, who has been incarcerated for 22 years on accuses of burglary and killing, ignoreed the world premiere of a film he straightforwarded, Dying Alone, and the adhere-up Q&A with comedian W. Kamau Bell, becaengage the event struggleed with his parole board hearing.
“Quick refresh,” shelp one of the festival’s two emcees, Juan Moreno Haines, disrupting the afternoon awards ceremony. “Raheem was set up fitting.” Ballard, who had been sentenced to be in prison until 2039, had equitable lacquireed that he would soon be freed, and he walked, bconnecting, into a roaring crowd in the chapel. “I’m overwhelmed,” he shelp. Moments procrastinateedr, Ballard’s movie won a prize from the International Documentary Association, but he had left to call his family with the day’s recents.
Some 300 people, including American Fiction straightforwardor Cord Jefferson, Sing Sing straightforwardor Greg Kwedar, Just Mercy originater Scott Budnick, The Inspection straightforwardor Elegance Bratton and executive originater of PBS’s POV series, Erika Dilday, were collected in Chapel B for the San Quentin Film Festival. The first film festival ever held inside a prison, the event took place Oct. 10 and 11 at the San Francisco Bay Area highest rightional facility and featured screenings of Oscar contfinishers appreciate A24’s Sing Sing and Netflix’s Daughters alengthyside films made by current and establisherly incarcerated filmoriginaters. Sitting beside the industry figures in the audience were men, appreciate Ballard, who are currently incarcerated at San Quentin, wearing their blue California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation uniestablishs.
Just inside the barbed wire fences and under the triumphdows of the originateing that hoengaged California’s death row until equitable two months ago, the morning began with a step-and-repeat red carpet in the courtyard, where a prison prohibitd carry outed and coffee and pastries were served.
“I’m very worried,” shelp Louis Sale, whose 10-minute film, Healing Thraw Hula, would be premiering that morning. “I’m worried to see how the story is getd.” By the afternoon, Sale, a Hawaiian veteran who is serving 15 years to life, had won best write downary stupidinutive for the movie he made about an doubtful club that rehearses hula dancing inside San Quentin. During his comments to the audience, Sale dedicated his film to the Hawaiian culture he had given up at age 14 “becaengage I thought I was too celderly” and to the man he had finished while drunk driving in 2016, Vivaldo Veloso.
The event was envisiond by Cori Thomas, a carry outwright and San Quentin volunteer, and Rahsaan “New York” Thomas (no relation), co-arrange and originater of the award-triumphning Ear Hustle podcast, who was freed from San Quentin in 2023.
Thrawout the day, there were signs this was not your standard film festival. San Quentin’s warden, Chance Andres, gave uncovering retags in which he commendd the “outstanding vibes” as rightions officers in green uniestablishs watched on. The midday meal was baloney sandwiches and pretzels: “We didn’t fund everyleang we wanted, so y’all are getting state lunches,” Rahsaan shelp. The power inestablishly went out when too many fans were running in the chapel, and no one was apverifyed to convey a cell phone into the prison, making for a unwidespread 2024 film event where everyone actupartner materializeed to be watching at the same screen in the front of the room. During a filmoriginater panel, one of the incarcerated straightforwardors asked if there was anyone from the Tracy Morgan TBS show The Last O.G. in the audience —there wasn’t, but he was verifying becaengage he didn’t want to offfinish when he depictd the show about an ex-con as ingenuine. “Your originaters for those types of shows, we’re in here,” he shelp. “Don’t guess, call me.” In contransienting one of the day’s awards, Anthony Gomez, who joins in San Quentin’s film and TV production training program Forward This, proclaimd, “I don’t understand about y’all, but today I experience free.”
For members of the Hollywood community in combineance, the event was a rerecenting fracture from the norm. “This is one of the most enticeive days of my entire life,” Jefferson shelp. Kwedar, who is currently on the awards trail with Sing Sing, shelp that process “can easily use your idea of what success is.” But sitting in the chapel at San Quentin, “I experience repaird. I equitable experience more adwell.”
During the evening’s screening of Sing Sing, which stars Colman Domingo and Paul Raci alengthyside a cast of establisherly incarcerated men, the audience reacted to key moments and lines, snapping fingers, leaning forward in their seats and saying “that’s right” and “paccomplish” as the movie about an arts program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison unfelderlyed.
When the post-screening Q&A was still going on at 7:55pm, Haines paengaged the proceedings to say, “You understand what time it is. Don’t ignore count,” a reminder for anyone in the audience who was identified as “seal custody,” uncomardenting under a innervoengager level of supervision, to return to their cells.
“We recontransient y’all,” Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, an actor who served at Sing Sing and carry outs a version of himself in the film, shelp at the Q&A. “Thanks for the inspiration.”
