Indie Lens Pop Up: Love in the Time of Fentanyl Screening

Love in the Time of Fentanyl: Norma Vaillancourt in the alley behind the Overdose Prevention Society site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside

Colin Askey

Join WXXI for a special screening and discussion of Love in the Time of Fentanyl about overdose deaths and what is being done to prevent them. 

WXXI presents Love in the Time of Fentanyl, an Indie Lens Pop-Up presentation, followed by a panel discussion on Monday, January 30th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Little Theatre in Theatre 5. (240 East Avenue, Rochester, NY).  

The moderator of the discussion is: Racquel Stephen, WXXI News Health Reporter 

Panelists include:

Ronnie Grigg, featured in the documentary is a manager at the Overdose Protection Society and nicknamed “Narcan Jesus,” for the countless overdoses he's reversed and harm reduction work.  

Kelly Quinn is the Community Outreach Specialist for Strong Recovery at the University of Rochester. She developed and is staff advisor position of Peer Recovery Specialist where she developed peer led support groups and resurrected projects such as the Patient Advisory Committee. Kelly is the founder and Executive Director of Recover Collaborative 501c3 incorporated in 2020 where she provides educational opportunities for individuals seeking CRPA (Certified Recovery Peer Advocate) certification in addition to professional development for those already certified. Kelly is also works as a consultant and partners with community agencies to assist in the development and success of peer service lines. Kelly is a person in recovery and strives for transparency of her own recovery process

 Joy Bergfalk, executive director of Coffee Connection, an organization that empowers women in recovery from addiction, trauma, and incarcerationand. She is also a clergy member
Erica Abbott, staff member at Coffee Connection 
Amanda Harris, staff member at Coffee Connection 

This screening and talkback event is part of New York State Public Media Overdose Epidemic, an initiative funded by the New York State Education Department that has called on NYS public media organizations to create a multi-platform project to help address mental health and addiction throughout the state. Additional programming will air in WXXI-TV the week of February 13-19,2023.

Film Description: As the number of overdose deaths in Vancouver, Canada reaches an all-time high, employees and volunteers at the Overdose Prevention Society take matters into their own hands. 

About the film:

As the number of overdose deaths in Vancouver, Canada reaches an all-time high, the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS) opens its doors—a renegade supervised drug consumption site that primarily employs active and former drug users. Its staff and volunteers save lives and give hope to a marginalized community as the overdose crisis rages throughout Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. 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 reverses overdoses 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 save lives and find radical new ways out of the devastating but widely ignored crisis ravaging their community. Love in the Time of Fentanyl is an intimate, observational look beyond the stigma of people who use drugs, revealing the courage of those facing tragedy in a neighborhood often referred to as ground zero of the overdose crisis. Learn More About the Film https://itvs.org/films/love-in-the-time-of-fentanyl

Watch the Trailer: 

A discussion will follow the preview screening.

About Indie Lens Pop-Up
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together—virtually and in-person—for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS's INDEPENDENT LENS, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations together to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics, to family and community relationships. Make friends, share stories, and join the conversation. For more information, visit pbs.org/independentlens/indie-lens-pop-up

About the New York State Public Media Overdose Epidemic is part of an initiative funded by the New York State Education Department that has called on NYS public media organizations to create a multi-platform project to help address mental health and addiction throughout the state. The project includes broadcast offerings, online content, and special events, like this screening. The NYS stations will also work to create comprehensive digital teaching tools, online learning, and essential instructional content.

Support from ITVS, CPB, PBS, ACTON FAMILY GIVING, MACARTHUR FOUNDATION, WYNCOTE FOUNDATION AND NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.

 Additional support: Funding for this events has been provided in part by the New York State Education Department.