Previous Filmmakers from San Quentin State Prison
We are thrilled that all members of FIRSTWATCH were commuted by Governor Jerry Brown in 2018. Shadeed returned home in August 2018, Adnan while commuted in December 2018, he was the first person re-sentenced under SB1437 and returned home in January 2019 . Lawrence returned home in July 2019 and James is returning home in the next couple of months.
A Word From the Men
We, incarcerated men, film life inside these walls. FirstWatch is the first project of its kind: we are the producers, cameramen, photographers, editors, sound designers, writers, and journalists. From pre-production to post-production, the FirstWatch team creates every single piece ourselves while serving time inside San Quentin State Prison. In an effort to humanize incarceration, the series explores how accountability and rehabilitation open the potential for healing and restoration.
The Films
Valentine’s Day in Prison
Parenting in Prison
Cellfie
The PB&J Sandwich
My Eyes ft. Lawrence
Jeff’s Garden
Kell’s Story
Why You Should Be a Chef ft. Niccola
Father’s Day: Phil’s Story
Cellfie: The Big Move ft. Choy
Father’s Day: Curtis’s Story
Accountability: Choy
Accountability: Adnan
Accountability: Antwan
Upu’s Story
The Bet ft. The Golden State Warriors
Travis’s Prison Journey
Phoeun’s Prison Journey
Lumumba’s Prison Journey
Lumumba’s History
Lawrence’s Prison Journey
Lumumba’s Atlas
The Name
The “first watch” in prison is the graveyard shift when we are put away in our cells for the remainder of the night until morning. Correctional officers periodically check in on us by flashing a light into our cells to make sure we’re still alive. We’ve made this “FirstWatch” our own, checking in on ourselves and flashing a light on our lives, a life kept away from society. FirstWatch is our narrative of our world, told from our perspective. First watch, then judge.
Who We Are
We are not men who kill each other, secretly pass knives and contraband, plot against one another or conspire attacks on guards. We are not men who deny our crimes or who claim innocence. We are men who try hard, stay up at night doing college essays under a dim TV light, or sometimes in the dark, out of respect for our cellies, stealing slivers of light coming off the tiers.
We are men who are punctual for our self-help groups, men who share our traumas with words and tears. We empathize with deep breaths and sighs and hugs and offerings of canteen snacks for support. We are men who hold ourselves and each other accountable for the crimes we’ve committed and for the grief we’ve forced upon innocent people and their families.
We are men who are ambitious about finding ways to give back to society. With the desire to contribute to our communities, we share our stories from inside these walls.
Our Method
We teach each other, read books, study commercials, documentaries, and TV shows counting how long each clip lasts, taking notes on unique camera angles, observe creative use of B-Roll, discuss and analyze the visual artistry of last night’s episode, and usually, we learn by trial and error.
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