The film festival inside a prison: The Hollywood Reporter reveals the program of the third San Quentin Film Festival

The San Quentin Film Festival, the world’s only film festival held inside a U.S. prison, has announced the official program of its third edition, as The Hollywood Reporter reports exclusively. This year’s edition will take place on October 22 and 23 at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in Marin County, California, and honors the creativity of currently and formerly incarcerated filmmakers, “putting the spotlight on stories of resilience, redemption and artistic expression from behind the walls”, according to the organizers.

The highlight will be the preview night of October 21, when the first hour of Lynn Novick’s upcoming four-part PBS documentary series, “Crime and Punishment in America”, will be screened for the San Quentin residents’ audience. The eight-hour documentary, executive produced by Ken Burns and Sam Pollard, explores the history of criminal justice in America — from the pre-colonial period to the mass incarcerations of the 21st century — and will be broadcast on four consecutive nights on PBS starting November 16, 2026. Narration is by Keith David, while other voices include Samuel L. Jackson, Laura Linney, Bobby Cannavale, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Hyde Pierce and BD Wong.

The festival received 75 submissions this year for the official competition, while the short-film categories are open exclusively to currently or formerly incarcerated filmmakers, judged by a jury of industry professionals. The feature-length category is judged by an internal jury made up of San Quentin residents themselves, while the new “Long Short” category — for films up to 40 minutes — is judged by residents of the Central California Women’s Facility. The pitch competition received 68 submissions from incarcerated writers at 20 institutions across America — and for the first time also from outside the U.S., from a prison in Panama.

Around 400 people are expected over the festival’s two days — half entertainment industry professionals and half residents of the rehabilitation center. “When we started this festival, we dreamed of bringing films from prisons and different places into dialogue, giving formerly incarcerated artists a place where their voice can be heard,” said co-founder and artistic director Cori Thomas. Those who cannot attend can watch the official selections from October 26 to November 8 through screening tickets on sale, while prisoners in California will follow the films through the institutional channel of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.