Adamu Chan

is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and community organizer whose artistry is deeply rooted in relationships and lived experience. Based in the Bay Area, Adamu discovered his passion for filmmaking during his incarceration at San Quentin State Prison, where he used his unique perspective to craft powerful visual stories that amplify voices often silenced. His films invite viewers into conversations about social justice, resilience, and the transformative power of community.

In 2021, Adamu received the Docs in Action Film Fund from Working Films and directed What These Walls Won’t Hold, an intimate and critically acclaimed exploration of resistance and solidarity that won the Golden Gate Award at the 2023 San Francisco International Film Festival and aired nationally on PBS/America ReFramed. His work also includes a documentary short for ITVS/Independent Lens’s Bridge Builders series, spotlighting Ny Nourn, an advocate at the crossroads of immigration, incarceration, and gender justice. A 2022 Mellon Arts Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and a 2023 Rockwood Institute JustFilms Documentary Leaders Fellow, Adamu continues to nurture his creative journey as a 2024 Wyncote Fellow and SFFILM House resident. In 2023, he joined the Board of Directors at Working Films, further cementing his commitment to social impact in filmmaking. Adamu’s work is inspired by the strength and stories of those directly impacted by systemic inequities. Through his artistry, he fosters relationships that empower communities to reclaim and reshape the narratives that define them.