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What These Walls Won't Hold

Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic at San Quentin State Prison, What These Walls Won’t Hold chronicles the organizing and relationships of people who came together beyond the separations created by incarceration, to respond to this crisis. The film is shot from the perspective of filmmaker Adamu Chan, who was incarcerated at San Quentin during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

  • Adamu Taye Chan
    Director
  • Christian Lee Collins
    Producer
    Crow Country: Our Right to Food Sovereignty, Jungletown, From Incarceration to Education
  • Pete Nicks
    Producer
    Homeroom, The Force, The Waiting Room, The Reunion
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Social Justice
  • Runtime:
    39 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    62,400 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • San Francisco International Film Festival
    San francisco
    United States
    April 13, 2023
    World Premiere
    Best Documentary Mid-Length
Director Biography - Adamu Taye Chan

Adamu Chan is a filmmaker, writer, and community organizer from the Bay Area who was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison during one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks in the country. He produced numerous short films while incarcerated, using his vantage point and experience as an incarcerated person as a lens to focus the viewer’s gaze on issues related to social justice. In 2021, he was a recipient of the "Docs in Action Film Fund" (through Working Films), and was tapped to produce and direct his film, 'What These Walls Won't Hold.' Adamu is currently working on the doc-series 'Bridge Builders', partnering with ITVS. He is also a 2022 Stanford University Center for the Comparative Studies of Race and Ethnicity Mellon Arts Fellow. Adamu draws inspiration and energy from the voices of those directly impacted, and seeks to empower them to reshape the narratives that have been created about them through film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This story is told through the lens and perspective of my experience as someone who was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, which at the time, was the largest outbreak in the nation.

Viewers will see footage from within San Quentin; the decrepit buildings and towering walls of stone and steel, but within, the folks whose spirits and minds cannot be contained. Through letters, you will hear me share my experiences about my work creating films from inside the San Quentin Media Center, and my community and colleagues of fellow journalists, filmmakers, and activists who are enacting abolitionist practices from within the prison walls. But during the outbreak, everything changes. Through archival footage, phone calls with activists, and interviews of stakeholders, I unravel the anguish of living in prison during this time, exploring the actions both from within and beyond the walls, demonstrating the power of collective abolitionist practice. Once I achieve my release in October 2020, I document this period of transition, traveling back into my community, visiting old friends and fellow organizers, and exploring the much needed work of fighting for the urgent releases of community members still inside.