LOVE IN THE TIME OF FENTANYL
Directed by: Colin Askey | 80 min | 2022 | Canada
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 tragedy in a neighborhood that's often referred to as ground zero of the overdose crisis.
The Overdose Prevention Society (OPS) opened its doors as Vancouver's number of overdose deaths reached an all-time high. As a renegade safe injection site that employs current and former drug users, its staff saves lives and gives hope to a profoundly marginalized community. The film follows; Sarah, an activist who opened OPS without government approval; Trey, a graffiti artist and former heroin user; Ronnie, a seasoned frontline worker nicknamed Narcan Jesus; Norma, a much-loved Indigenous elder in the community; and Dana, an active fentanyl user who constantly saves lives at work.
With loved ones dying in unprecedented numbers, the staff at OPS do whatever it takes to save lives, keep the doors open, and try to find radical new ways out of the devastating and widely ignored crisis ravaging their community.
Presented by: Amnesty International
Filmmaker Colin Askey together with doc participants Ronnie Grigg and Trey Agnew discuss Love in the Time of Fentanyl on Real Talk with Ryan Jespersen.