From Prison Classroom to National Audience: "Basement People" Screens at San Quentin Film Festival and Digitally Debuts Nationally on Securus Technologies Tablets

Directed by Christine Swanson and winner of Best Short Film at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, Kyale Akeem Williams' Academy Award-eligible film is now available to incarcerated viewers nationwide

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Basement People, an Academy Award-eligible short film written by incarcerated screenwriter Kyale Akeem Williams and directed by award-winning filmmaker Christine Swanson, screens at the 2026 San Quentin Film Festival. Technology access inside correctional facilities carried the film from a Michigan prison classroom to the festival circuit and secure tablets nationwide, extending education beyond the classroom, sustaining creative collaboration, and building the connection, skills, and sense of purpose essential to rehabilitation.

On October 22, 2026, Securus Technologies, a technology company that equips more than 1,800 correctional agencies with a comprehensive portfolio of connectivity solutions that enhance public safety and optimize facility operations, made Basement People available to incarcerated viewers through the Securus Media Store. Delivered across Securus' network of more than 550,000 secure tablets in corrections facilities nationwide, the release expands access to meaningful content that can spark reflection, reinforce learning, and bring to life where education and creative work can lead in rehabilitation and reentry.

Williams developed the screenplay through a Calvin Prison Initiative screenwriting course at Michigan's Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility. Recognizing the strength of his work, Calvin University professor Geert Heetebrij connected Williams with Swanson, a fellow Detroiter who went on to direct the film. Through JPay accounts on the Securus platform, Williams stayed connected with Swanson and the project's broader support network, allowing them to continue developing the screenplay during his incarceration and turn classroom learning into sustained creative collaboration.

"When I first read the script, I was struck by its emotional precision, moral ambiguity, and relatable characters," said Swanson, whose directing credits include The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel and Albany Road. "It did not ask for pity. It asked for understanding. Now, people inside may see their own families reflected in it, and that means a great deal to me."

The film follows Tina, a seven-year-old girl who retreats to her family's basement after a traumatic incident and finds refuge with her uncle Keith, whom the family has dismissed and isolated. Their bond creates safety without judgment and illustrates how empathy and connection can interrupt cycles of neglect and harm.

"I wrote Basement People to explore how vulnerable family members respond to familial violence, emotional abuse, and mental health conditions," said Williams. "I hope this interpersonal complexity will encourage audiences to sympathize with the protagonist without dehumanizing her tough and aggressive family. After all, each family member is a victim in their own way—someone who also deserves love, mercy, and compassion."

After winning Best Short Film at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, Basement People earned Academy Award eligibility. Its screening at the San Quentin Film Festival, now in its third year and the first film festival established inside a U.S. prison, brings a screenplay developed inside one correctional facility to an audience inside another, proving how education, creative opportunity, and technology access can carry work beyond institutional walls.

"Access to technology while incarcerated gives individuals an opportunity to discover and develop abilities they may never have had the chance to explore," said Jessica Lust, Chief Product Officer, Securus Technologies. "In particular, secure tablets create connectivity to educational tools, mentors, and collaborators that lead to skill building, motivation, and purpose, which can be the foundations of rehabilitation and successful reentry."

"Our responsibility extends beyond providing services. It includes listening to the communities where we operate and supporting the local people and organizations that understand what their communities need to thrive," said Shamia Lodge, Stakeholder Engagement Director, Securus Technologies. "When we pair their insight with resources that expand access and opportunity, we help create conditions in which more individuals can build lasting success."

About Securus Technologies
Securus Technologies, an Aventiv company and the industry leader, equips more than 1,800 correctional agencies with a comprehensive portfolio of technology solutions that enhance public safety and optimize facility operations. Securus helps agencies bring communications, intelligence, mobility, education, monitoring, and operational visibility together in one integrated ecosystem that improves safety, efficiency, and outcomes. Through purpose-built infrastructure, extensive corrections expertise, and continuous investment in innovation, Securus helps agencies modernize how corrections work while supporting successful reentry and stronger communities.

About Basement People
Basement People explores the impact of trauma poverty, and untreated mental illness on children and urban communities. Through Tina, a sensitive young girl, and her uncle Keith, a man isolated by his own struggles, the film reveals how cycles of neglect and violence can be interrupted by empathy and understanding.

Written by Kyale Akeem Williams, an incarcerated writer at Michigan's Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility through the Calvin Prison Initiative and directed by award-winning filmmaker Christine Swanson, Basement People unites two artists whose shared roots ground the film in authenticity. This collaboration bridges art, justice and community healing while amplifying Detroit's creative legacy.

SOURCE Securus Technologies