Thank You for Thinking of Me

Deyanna Davis

Deyanna Davis is a Buffalo mother whose life changed on June 1, 2020, when she accidentally drove through a protest, was shot at by police, and was later charged with injuring an officer. Facing a criminal justice system in which roughly 95% of felony convictions are resolved through guilty pleas rather than trial, Deyanna ultimately accepted a plea deal and was incarcerated while pregnant. She gave birth to her youngest daughter, Reighn, while serving her sentence.

Myles Carter

Myles Carter is among Deyanna's most loyal defenders. He is a well-known Buffalo activist and an esteemed member of Buffalo's Muslim community. While navigating his own personal sacrifices, Myles led the charge to advocate for Deyanna's compassionate release from the Erie County Holding Center after the incident in 2020.

M. Akram Shibly

Akram is a Sundance X ISF Building Bridges Fellow and CAAM Building Bridges Documentary Fund grant recipient whose work in public media has earned him a Webby Award (Brave Spaces), a Telly Award, and an Emmy Award (Compact History). His projects span intimate documentaries, imaginative narrative films, and personal storytelling that explores justice, spirituality, and identity.

Rosie Garthwaite

Rosie, executive producer, is an Exec Producer at BBC World Service’s Investigations Unit. Rosie is currently based in London making docs and interactives, mainly about the Middle East and North Africa. She founded Mediadante, producing the Emmy-nominated, The Workers Cup, that premiered on the opening night of Sundance 2017. In 2023 she exec produced Under Poisoned Skies that helped secure a pledge to reduce gas flaring emissions from the Iraqi government and won the RTS for best international documentary of the year.

Sara Kasen

Sara Kasen is a producer, director, and film funder living between Buffalo, NY, and New York City. Sara has participated in the Justice Film Festival/UnRival Network’s Film Lab and is a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia (BGDM), a team member of the Nonfiction Hotlist, and an A-Doc Allies participant.

Tay Bass

Tay is a Black biracial actor and filmmaker. whose interdisciplinary practice explores radical joy, intersectionality, and transformative justice. Their work honors the working-class communities that raised them and is shaped by a commitment to collective authorship. As an impact producer, Tay strategizes & leads campaigns, catalyzing conversations around carceral injustice, motherhood, and transgender youth advocacy.