Cinema Politica: Love in the Time of Fentanyl
Join us for a Cinema Politica Groningen documentary screening: Love in the Time of Fentanyl.
Set in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, LOVE IN THE TIME OF FENTANYL is an intimate, observational look beyond the stigma of injection drug users, revealing the courage of those facing terrible tragedy in a neighbourhood often referred to as ground zero of the overdose crisis.
As the number of overdose deaths in Vancouver reaches an all time high, the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS) opens its doors—a renegade safe injection site that employs primarily current or former drug users, its staff and volunteers save lives and give hope to a deeply marginalized community as the overdose crisis rages.
The film follows Sarah, an activist who opened OPS without government approval, as she strives to raise awareness about the crisis; Trey, a graffiti artist and former heroin user who spends his days reversing overdoses and memorializing lost community members; Ronnie, a seasoned frontline worker nicknamed Narcan Jesus, struggling with burnout from the demanding work and witnessing so much loss; Norma, a much-loved Indigenous elder in the community, who cooks meals for the staff when she’s not administering naloxone; and Dana, an active fentanyl user who constantly saves lives at work while struggling with his own drug use.
With loved ones dying in unprecedented numbers, the staff at OPS does whatever it takes to keep the doors open and find radical new ways out of the devastating but widely ignored crisis ravaging their community.
Joining us on the couch for the after talk are:
Konstantin Mierau is an Associate Professor of European Culture and Literature and the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Arts. His research focuses on the representation of marginalized communities, with a particular focus on incarceration and rehabilitation. He has also studied the rehabilitative use of arts education and community outreach in prisons around the world.
Sylvia Bloemendaal is a dedicated Project Manager and Policy Advisor for Prevention & Substance Use at the Municipality of Groningen, specializing in substance use prevention, with a strong focus on mental health and social safety, and extensive experience in developing and implementing public health policies while actively bridging the gap between local government, partner organizations, and residents to help build a safer, healthier, and more resilient community.
Fokke Pietens has been living with addiction for over 40 years since he was 20 years old. He is familiar with various types of substances and has a history in detention, but he has been engaged in the day treatment activities at Werkpro's 12th House in Groningen for several years now. Werkpro's 12th House provides daily activities and support for people with long-term addiction issues.
About Cinema Politica:
Cinema Politica is a non-profit media arts organization dedicated to supporting the work of independent, political filmmakers. CP is headquartered in Canada with local chapters that organise screenings all around the world. The Faculty of Arts is proud to host the Cinema Politica Groningen chapter.
Cinema Politica offers films on a wide variety of themes: Human rights, politics, globalisation, art, activism, refugee/migrants, war/conflict, social movements and many more.
Here at the Faculty of Arts, we will choose titles that have a relation to the research being done at our faculty in particular. All of the documentaries are in English or include English subtitles. Our screenings are free and open to all. After each film, we host a lively discussion with experts from the Faculty of Arts and beyond, followed by Q&A for audience questions.
Stay updated on upcoming screenings by following us on Instagram: @cpgroningen.
The Cinema Politica series is made possible by the Public Events Programme from the Faculty of Arts. With this screening we partnered up with USVA.
Interested in teaming up with one of our next political documentary screenings? We love to collaborate with experts and community members from the area. Send an email to: cinemapolitica@rug.nl