We are glad to publish our documentary movie featuring one day in the life of people who use drugs from seven cities around the world!
We had the idea for a long time to produce a movie similar to Jim Jarmusch’s “Night on Earth,” but focusing on how people who use drugs live in different cities of the world; to contrast the parallel realities of drug policy and how they affect their lives. It was our newly founded video advocacy network that created a unique opportunity for us to make this idea a reality. Traveling to all these places and filming on site would have required huge financial resources, as well as time. However, in this network we have fellow activists from other countries who are able to make high quality videos. So we realised that we can ask film makers to produce footage for us – and send it to us so that my colleague, István, as a director, can edit them into one single movie. A cost-effective, community-based method to produce a documentary!
It may sound easy, but in fact it was a huge amount of work. First, we selected the scenes: seven cities with different geographical, cultural, and political features, where we have a network member willing to work on this project. Second, we had to select the characters with our local partners, based on how much their personal stories can express some important aspects of deeper, structural challenges. Third, István, the director, had to instruct the local film makers on how and what to film, and to record in-depth interviews with the local characters. Fourth, he had to edit the footage sent by them into a movie with a single, solid quality and style.
We expected to be ready by the UNGASS on drugs in New York, April 2016. István was editing day and night but the project turned out to take much longer – more than 6 months. The premier of the movie was at the VERZIO human rights film festival in Budapest, 12th November. Since than we have organised several screenings in many cities, including Budapest, Berlin, Lagos, Kiev, Prague, Vilnius, and Montreal. There are many other screenings coming soon in other cities, including New York, Hamburg, Brussels, and London. For exact times and locations please visit the website of the movie! If your city is not on the list and/or you would like to organise a screening in your own neighbourhood, campus, community, workplace, etc,. than please contact us! You can download the film, subtitles posters and postcards here!
This movie was produced from a very small budget: 10,000 dollars. We do not charge anyone for watching or screening our movie. But if you liked it, we encourage you to make a donation to the Rights Reporter Foundation (click here!) so that we can continue our work in the future!
Article: Peter Sarosi
Director of the movie: Istvan Gabor Takacs
Producer of the movie: Peter Sarosi
