February 8th at 7:30pm ET
Love in the Time of Fentanyl
DOCUMENTARY - 60 minutes
Directed by Colin Askey, Monika Navarro, Marc Serpa Francoeur, and Robinder Uppal
Description: As fentanyl overdose deaths in Vancouver, Canada, reach an all-time high, the Overdose Prevention Society opens its doors—a renegade safe injection site that employs current or former drug users. Its staff and volunteers save lives and give hope to a marginalized community, doing whatever it takes to remain open, in this intimate documentary that looks beyond the stigma of injection drug users.
Short film and description: 21: Mercer County - Following a lifelong battle with addiction, Stacey Ross became sober at age 44 and is committed to helping others do the same as a certified peer recovery specialist providing resources for treatment and mentorship to young women.
Talkback with Colin Askey, filmmaker; Rayce Samuelson, Supervisor of ON POINT - NYC's drug overdose prevention center; Dinah Ortiz, Urban Survivor's Union; Stacey Ross, subject of NJ 21 documentary short, Mercer County | Moderated by Anthony Torres, founder of BCLA Bergen County LGBTQ+ Alliance
Sponsored by YWCA of Northern New Jersey
March 15th at 7:30pm ET
Storming Caesars Palace
DOCUMENTARY - 60 minutes
Directed by Hazel Gurland-Pooler
Description: After losing her job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas, Ruby Duncan co-founded a welfare rights group of ordinary mothers who defied notions of the “welfare queen.” In a fight for a universal basic income in 1969, Ruby and other equality activists took on the Nevada mob in organizing a massive protest that shut down Caesars Palace.
Short film and description: 21: Bergen County - When Rhona Vega moved to Bergen County as a single mom, she hoped all future opportunities for her kids and others would be equal. They were not, so she established “Parent Matterz”—an organization that nurtures students’ dreams and ambitions and helps parents prepare for college with tutors, enrichment programs, mentors, and more.
Talkback with Hazel Gurland-Pooler, director; Sondra Phillips-Gilbert, film participant, activist, and Ruby Duncan’s daughter | Moderated by Helen Archontou, CEO of YWCA of Northern New Jersey
Sponsored by YWCA of Northern New Jersey
April 19th at 7:30pm ET
Free Chol Soo Lee
DOCUMENTARY - 60 minutes
Directed by Julie Ha, Eugene Yi, and Su Kim
Description: Sentenced to death for a lurid 1973 San Francisco murder, Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee was set free after a pan-Asian solidarity movement of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese Americans helped to overturn his conviction. After 10 years of fighting for his life inside San Quentin, Lee found himself in a new fight to rise to the expectations of the people who believed in him.
Short film and description: 21: Cumberland County - Edgar Aquino-Huerta, the son of undocumented migrant workers and a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program beneficiary, is using his protected status and his voice to help educate the local undocumented community and advocate for immigration reform.
Talkback with Filmmakers of "Free Chol Soo Lee" Julie Ha and Eugene Yi and Edgar Aquino-Huerta (subject of short)| Moderated by Amy Torres - NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice
Sponsored by YWCA of Northern New Jersey
