Star-studded San Quentin Film Festival

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. - The San Quentin Rehabilitation Center held the first major film festival inside a prison with a lineup of star-studded spectators.

Among the attendees were actress Kerry Washington, and comedians Jerry Seinfeld and W. Kamau Bell. The New York Times, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter covered the Oct. 10-11 event. 

The festival featured the creative talents of current and previously incarcerated filmmakers and served as a chance for these individuals to shine a new light on life behind bars.

"The incarcerated population dominated in the documentary category because when it comes to lived experiences, no one can tell the stories better than someone who lived through it," said Rahsaan Thomas, the film festival's founder and a man previously incarcerated at San Quentin. "This is one of the best film festivals I've ever seen."

Some of these films will be available for viewing soon.

The Strike, which won the best documentary, will screen at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland on Oct. 23 and will broadcast on PBS this spring.