CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A short documentary on Huntington’s heroin-related issues and three women who deal with the epidemic on a daily basis was released last week on Netflix.
“Heroin(e)” details the work of Huntington Fire Chief Jan Rader, Cabell County Family Court Judge Patricia Keller and Necia Freeman of Brown Bag Ministries in regards to Huntington’s heroin epidemic.
Film director Elaine McMillion Sheldon said the purpose of the 39-minute film is to shine a new light on the use of heroin and opioids in West Virginia.
“It’s at a point where we really need to have an honest discussion about how to move forward,” she said. “I just met these three women in Huntington and admired the work they were doing and thought maybe this film could be one of the many ways to get the conversation started.”
The Center for Investigative Reporting began supporting the film after the footage was shot, helping Sheldon during the film’s final stages. Netflix later provided support with marketing.
“Now, it’s out there now to 190 countries and it’s really exciting,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon, who lives in Charleston, said the crisis is often kept at a distance by the public, and this film gives people a closer look at how addiction is handled from multiple angles.
“We see the destruction, and often times the media focuses on the sensationalist of ‘here’s the needle and the spoon’ and ‘here’s this very dire situation,'” she said. “I just hope this story helps people grasp onto the daily grind and the impact that this crisis is having on the individual level.”
Sheldon added while the documentary is shorter than most films, it, in turn, makes it more accessible to those who otherwise pass over the movie on Netflix.
“While it’s tempting to make every piece of work 90 minutes, it’s not always feasible with limited resources for editing and also time,” she noted. “This is a very timely story, and we wanted to get it out as quick as possible.”