Prison-Set Documentary ‘Daughters’ To Close Inaugural San Quentin Film Festival, First Cinematic Festival Ever Held Behind Bars

EXCLUSIVE: Daughters , the award-winning Netflix documentary set behind the walls of a Washington DC prison, will serve as the closing night selection of a new film festival taking place at California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

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The film, winner of the Festival Favorite Award as well as the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary at Sundance, centers on a special “Daddy-Daughter Dance” where incarcerated men and their daughters participate in a unique and emotional bonding experience. It will screen October 11 at the San Quentin Film Festival, a two-day event on the grounds of the prison that houses upwards of 4,000 men (the facility, which changed its name last year from San Quentin State Prison, includes sections ranging from minimum- to maximum-security).

“We are honored to have Daughters screen as the Closing Night film in San Quentin!” said Natalie Rae, who directed the documentary with Angela Patton. “To connect incarcerated fathers and their daughters is our mission and this screening shows that together we can break down those barriers. This is a film for and by these fathers and daughters, so this is exactly where it should be.”

Patton, CEO of Girls For A Change, stated, “I am deeply honored to have Daughters as the Closing Night selection at the San Quentin Film Festival. This screening underscores our film’s mission to amplify the voices of young girls whose fathers are incarcerated, fostering understanding and inspiring change. Despite their fathers being behind bars, these girls are determined not to allow the system to lock them out of their fathers’ lives.”

The San Quentin Film Festival, co-founded and co-directed by Cori Thomas and Rahsaan “New York” Thomas (no relation to Cori), is the first film festival ever to be held at an active prison, according to organizers. Deadline understands the prison has authorized 125 outside guests to attend the festival, all by invitation. Guests include entertainment industry leaders – executives and artists – along with donors, foundations, community-based organizations and partners working in the field, and formerly-incarcerated filmmakers. (A SQFF24 Virtual Screening Pass, available to the public, will go on sale in September).

In addition, some current San Quentin residents – incarcerated filmmakers whose narrative or documentary short films were chosen for screening at SQFF24 – will attend the event. Winners in the shorts categories will be selected by a jury of 19 entertainment industry professionals including actors Jeffrey Wright ( American Fiction , Basquiat , Angels in America ); Billy Crudup ( The Morning Show , Almost Famous ); Kathy Najimi ( Sister Act , The Kathy & Mo Show ), Mary-Louise Parker ( Weeds , Angels in America ).

Directors on the jury number Elegance Bratton ( The Inspection , Pier Kids ); Taylor Hackford ( Ray , Blood In Blood Out ); Greg Kwedar ( Sing Sing , Jockey ); Lynn Novick ( The U.S. and the Holocaust , College Behind Bars ); Jeff Stanzler ( Jumpin’ At the Boneyard , Love Gets You Twisted ), and Joe Talbot ( The Last Black Man in San Francisco , American Paradise ).

Writer/producers on the jury include Sam Catlin ( Breaking Bad , Sugar ); Lawrence O’Donnell ( The West Wing , Mr. Sterling ); author Piper Kerman ( Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison ), and J. T. Rogers ( Tokyo Vice , Oslo ); editor Paul Rogers ( Everything Everywhere All At Once ) also joins the judging panel.

Producers participating on the jury include former HBO President Len Amato ( The White House Plumbers , Blood Diamond ); CEO Tribeca Enterprises, Co-founder Tribeca Film Festival Jane Rosenthal ( When They See Us , The Irishman ); Rick Telles ( A Million Miles Away , Road Rules ), and Monique Walton ( Sing Sing , Bull ).

Watch Trailer For Netflix Documentary ‘Daughters’: Emotional Film About Father-Daughter Dance Behind Prison Walls

An Inside Jury comprised of incarcerated people will judge a curated selection of narrative and documentary features about the prison experience directed by filmmakers who have never served prison time.

As previously announced, SQFF24 will open with the acclaimed A24 drama Sing Sing , written and directed by Greg Kwedar, winner of the Audience Award at SXSW and the Excellence in Ensemble Acting Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. The film stars Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci, Sean San José, and additional formerly incarcerated actors.

Daughters , executive produced by Kerry Washington, debuts on Netflix today (Aug. 14). Directors Rae and Patton are planning to attend the SQFF24 screening and will participate in a Q&A with festival attendees and San Quentin residents.

“After opening with the powerful, gorgeous and affecting Sing Sing , I cannot think of a better exclamation point than the beautiful, luminous, deeply moving Daughters ,” said SQFF Co-Founder and Co-Director Cori Thomas. “Two distinct and exquisite films to bookend our inaugural festival.”

“ Daughters is an amazing film,” added Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, SQFF co-founder and co-director, “and I pray showcasing it at San Quentin will lead to more fathers doing better for their daughters and sons.”

SQFF24 is supported by Tribeca Festival, Pollen Initiative and Empowerment Avenue, along with multiple donors and sponsors.

“The SQFF represents a groundbreaking event in the context of rehabilitative programming and the integration of the arts within the prison system,” commented Nancy Lefkowitz, EVP Tribeca Enterprises. “This approach not only highlights the creative talents within prison populations, but also integrates these individuals into broader cinematic and cultural dialogues. It represents a pioneering effort in this space.”

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