Premieres Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS App
When the number of overdose deaths in Vancouver, Canada, reached an all time high, filmmaker Colin Askey turned the lens on employees and volunteers at a safe injection site, also known as a supervised consumption site, as they work to give hope to a neighborhood often referred to as ground zero of the overdose crisis. Askey’s film, “Love in the Time of Fentanyl,” looks beyond the stigma of people who use fentanyl and other drugs and brings to light the courage of those facing tragedy and providing radical responses to the crisis ravaging their community.
Askey, who has dedicated his career to capturing the transformative impact of humane policy on the lives of people who use drugs, spotlights the dedicated and courageous staff at the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS), a supervised drug injection site that primarily employs active and former drug users, as they take radical measures to save lives and reduce tragedy in their community.
From OPS founder Sarah Blyth, who opened the site without government approval, to manager Trey Helten, a former heroin user who memorializes lost community members with graffiti art, the film centers on the people approaching this crisis with solutions while the opioid epidemic continues to tear through communities all over the U.S.
Taking viewers inside the day-to-day of a safe injection site, Askey also follows supervisor Norma, a beloved Indigenous elder in the community who cooks meals for the staff, and volunteer Dana McInnis, an active fentanyl user who constantly reverses overdoses at work while struggling with his own drug use.
Askey’s timely film moves past the stigmatization of injection drug users and walks alongside those most vulnerable in the overdose crisis. “Love in the Time of Fentanyl” shares a deeply personal look at how safe injection sites can provide hope and reprieve for those struggling with addiction throughout the United States, as lawmakers continue to debate legalizing these services.
Filmmaker Quote:
“As the U.S. now faces over 100,000 overdose deaths a year, I hope this film can provide a window for American audiences into the inner workings of an overdose prevention site, which have been proven to save lives around the world for over 35 years, yet remain illegal in the U.S. under federal law,” said Askey. “I hope that audiences draw inspiration from this beautiful band of misfits who fight with radical compassion and love for their community in a way that we can all learn from.”
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Credits:
Director: Colin Askey. Producers: Monika Navarro, Marc Serpa-Francoeur, Robinder Uppal and Sean Baker. INDEPENDENT LENS is presented by ITVS. Executive Director is Lois Vossen “Love in the Time of Fentanyl” received Open Call funding from ITVS and support from the Sundance Institute.
