We were thrilled to co-host with Netflix a screening of their compelling and Oscar-nominated original short documentary film, Heroin(e), at the SoHo House in New York City on Wednesday, February 21.
Heroin(e) chronicles the once bustling industrial town of Huntington, West Virginia that has now become the epicenter of America’s opioid epidemic – with an overdose rate 10 times the national average. But within this distressed landscape, Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Hollow) shows a different side of the opioid crisis – one of hope.
The film highlights three women working to change the town’s narrative and break the devastating cycle of substance use one person at a time. As America’s opioid crisis threatens to tear towns and communities apart, Heroin(e) shows how the chain of compassion holds one town together.
Netflix approached us to partner on this screening because of our leadership and work for families amidst today’s opioid epidemic. After the screening, our president Fred Muench sat down with Elaine for an intimate Q&A session with the audience.
We led the discussion not only as experts and advocates on this issue, but also as fans of this film and all of the heroines in front of and behind the camera. Heroin(e) is the film we need now, because it gives us hope; it shows us that individuals, in practicing kindness and in treating this as a health issue, can and will make a difference; and it shows that there are solutions that work in this public health emergency.