The Cinematheque

“Intimate and revealing—quietly but firmly humanizing drug use and the people who engage in it.”

Paloma Pacheco, POV Magazine

A public health emergency around what came to be known as ​“the overdose crisis” was first declared in this province in April 2016—the same year the grass-roots Overdose Prevention Society began offering its harm reduction services. In the intervening seven years, a staggering 11,171 deaths in BC have been attributed to this ongoing crisis. Supporters of OPS are convinced this number would be much higher if not for their frontline efforts. Having moved from their first location, a tent, to their current space on East Hastings Street, OPS provides a safe, warm, non-judgmental drop-in where people can test their drugs, pick up clean needles, and inject in safety, as well as access other services. A veteran of ten years work in the DTES, Askey was known and trusted. Using a fly-on-the-wall observational approach, his film portrays the community members who work at OPS (most either current or former drug users) with the same clear-eyed compassion as those who use its services.

“Director Colin Askey doesn’t gloss over the frequently-grim reality of serious substance use disorders … but he insists on the humanity of drug users and the communities they call home.” Kate Knibbs, Wired

Post-screening discussion with Sarah Blyth and Amy Evans.

Sarah Blyth is the executive director and co-founder of Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society and former Vancouver Park Board commissioner. She is a long-time community activist who has been working in the Downtown Eastside for over a decade providing grassroots services, opportunities, and responses to the overdose crisis.

Amy Evans is a manager at Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society with five years recovery. She found her passion doing harm reduction work in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.

Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky