USA / 2022 / 42mins / Documentary / English

Filmed during the coronavirus pandemic, Adamu Chan’s What These Walls Won't Hold is about the way the COVID-19 crisis brought into focus and catalyzed ongoing organizing efforts at San Quentin State Prison. Chan, who was incarcerated there, chronicles his journey home, interweaving his account with those of his loved ones both inside and outside the penitentiary walls. What emerges is a tender picture of a community thriving with relationships built on trust and an indomitable zeal to fight for a brighter and better future for those incarcerated. This film creates a blueprint for resistance and liberation that is for all and invites us to imagine the abolitionist world that awaits us at the end of our struggle

Adamu 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 focus the viewers' gaze on issues related to social justice. 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. Learn More