Filmmaking and the Arts in Pr*son - Sundance 2026

Storytelling behind Pr*son walls has long been a tool of survival, resistance, and transformation. Filmmaking and Arts in Pr*son brings together filmmakers and justice-impacted cultural leaders who are redefining how incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people are seen, heard, and represented through art.

Panelists Michael Kleiman and Asia Johnson of the documentary BEYOND, JJ Velazquez, of the Emmy-winning docuseries The Sing Sing Chronicles and Executive Producer of Beyond, and Rahsaan Thomas, co-founder of the San Quentin Film Festival, will explore how filmmaking and creative practice inside prisons can disrupt dominant narratives, cultivate dignity, and open pathways to healing, accountability, and freedom. From collaborative production models to ethical storytelling, the conversation will examine what it means to create art with incarcerated communities rather than about them.

Moderated by Dan Slepian, Senior Investigative Producer at NBC Dateline and co-creator of Letters from Sing Sing and The Sing Sing Chronicles, the discussion will also address the responsibilities of journalists and filmmakers working within carceral spaces, and how these stories can influence public perception, policy, and cultural change.

Together, these voices offer a powerful look at the role of creativity in survival, justice, and social transformation—and why the arts remain essential to imagining a more humane future.

Note: Ticket possession does not guarantee admittance. Admittance is on a first come, first serve basis.

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Host or Publisher Heretic Films