There are many films on incarcerated people by those who have not had that experience – with varying results. We are very pleased to present a panel discussion with filmmakers whose vision is directly informed by but not limited by that experience. They will talk about their efforts to move forward, centering their perspectives, developing their skills as artists, supporting the work of their colleagues as well as the communities they come from.

While imprisoned, Rahsaan “New York” Thomas used his voice to have a positive impact. He published over 50 stories with organizations like the Boston Globe, Business Insider, Slate, and Apogee Journal with the help of Empowerment Avenue, an organization he co-founded. Rahsaan is known as a participant in the Pulitzer Prize finalist podcast, Ear Hustle and is Co-Founder of the San Quentin Film Festival. He was paroled in February 2023 and is currently collaborating with incarcerated directors and the Returning Filmmaker Fund.

El Sawyer is a filmmaker and social justice advocate based in Philadelphia. Drawing on his own experience with incarceration, Sawyer speaks internationally on the challenges of reentry, recidivism, and neglected communities. He has won numerous awards for his film and community work, met with President Obama about criminal justice reform and was named a 2016 Rauschenberg Foundation Artist-as-Activist fellow. In 2014, he co-founded Media In Neighborhoods Group (MING), a film company that specializes in the multimedia documentation of criminal justice issues and marginalized communities. https://www.ming-media.com/

Michael and Debbie Davis are political activists, former political prisoners, as well as public speakers, film makers, directors and now producers. Michael and Debbie went from childhood sweethearts, to caring for animals, to picket signs, beatings, and arrests, which separated them for 40 years by a prison sentence. Debbie gave birth to their baby in a jail cell. That baby, Mike Africa Jr., grew up and came back to free his parents from that prison.