Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Matthew Heineman examines America’s opioid epidemic through multiple perspectives in the chain, from growers to law enforcement.
Festival Section:
Special Events
Sundance Program Description:
Transcending headlines to create a nuanced perspective of the heroin epidemic, this five-part Showtime docuseries deftly illuminates the humanity within this modern American crisis. Addicts and their families struggle in Atlanta, drug lords and poppy-seed farmers toil in Mexico, and narcotics units and dealers clash in Columbus. Intimate moments lay bare the physical and emotional grip of dependency, the complicit pain of enabling addiction, the complex roles of law enforcement, and the seemingly unbreakable cycle of supply and demand.
Director Matthew Heineman (CITY OF GHOSTS) returns to the Sundance Film Festival with this powerful, observational take on opioid addiction and the drug trade. Characters are presented without judgment in a riveting, interwoven narrative with superlative access to moments of heartbreak and personal truths. When one mother sobs, “I’m so tired of this; I don’t understand why,” she could be speaking for any person along this pervasive chain.
The Festival is proud to present the first two episodes of this unnerving series, which artfully conveys the scope and gravity of a national epidemic.
Some Background:
Director/Executive Producer:
Past Sundance docs:
CITY OF GHOSTS (2017)
CARTEL LAND (2015, US Documentary Directing Award, Special Jury Award for Cinematography)
ESCAPE FIRE (2012)
Heineman’s CITY OF GHOSTS has been shortlisted for the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award. He was previously nominated for CARTEL LAND, which won three Emmys.
Executive Producer/Showrunner:
Harleman has a background in directing and producing series for Animal Planet, CNN, Pivot, and ABC, working for ABC News and Brick City TV, among companies. She previously cut the Sundance narrative short ICE FISHING (2000), but this marks her first producing credit at the festival.
Producers:
Past Sundance docs:
CARTEL LAND
Estey is a journalist who has covered the drug war and politics in Mexico since 2010.
Kunkle previously produced series for Animal Planet, CNN, A&E, and Showtime, as well as the Sundance narrative feature THE COMEDY (2012).
Past Sundance docs:
CARTEL LAND (story consultant)
Tabor is a journalist whose work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Wired, and The New Yorker.
Co-Producers/Editors:
Past Sundance docs:
CITY OF GHOSTS (co-producer/editor)
CARTEL LAND (co-producer/editor)
GIDEON’S ARMY (2013, editor)
IF A TREE FALLS (2011, editor)
Hamachek has twice won the US Documentary Editing Award at the festival.
Past Sundance docs:
CITY OF GHOSTS
WATER & POWER: A CALIFORNIA HEIST
UNLOCKING THE CAGE (2016)
CARTEL LAND
THE NOTORIOUS MR BOUT (2014)
PUSSY RIOT – A PUNK PRAYER (2013)
WHAT REMAINS (2006)
DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND (2002)
Wassermann received an Emmy nomination for his work on CARTEL LAND.
Co-Producer:
Suverza is a Mexican journalist who has covered the drug cartels.
Editor:
Past Sundance docs:
CITY OF GHOSTS (co-editor)
Associate Editor:
This is the first Sundance credit for Linzmeier, who has cut series for production companies Warrior Poets and Brick TV.
Why You Should Watch:
Heineman makes great use of long-form, episodic storytelling to weave a wide-ranging tapestry which provides an eye-opening look at various facets of the opioid trade and its devastating consequences.
More Info:
Website
For Sundance screening dates and times, click the film title in the first paragraph.
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