DRUG FILM INVITES SURREY RESIDENTS TO SPEAK OUT

Drug addiction and what to do about the huge number of problems associated
with it are hot topics, not just in Vancouver this week but also in Surrey
as the Hollywood 3 cinema shows the documentary Fix: The Story of an
Addicted City this weekend.

Filmmaker Nettie Wild was on hand Monday for the launch of Vancouver's
supervised safe injection site, the original focus of her movie.

"I thought we were making a film about opening a safe injection site and in
the end it ended up to be a portrait of the beginnings of a social
movement," she said.

The film follows the two-year struggle of activists to open the safe
injection site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

What Wild is finding in showing this film in cities and towns across Canada
is that communities - everyday people - are way ahead of politicians in
terms of dealing with the issue "because it's in their face already.
They're much less frightened to talk about it than the politicians are."
She said many people are struggling with the effects of addiction on
children or adults who are drug dependent. Talking about the problem is one
of the first steps to creating social change, she said.

To that end, Fix: The Story of an Addicted City has sold out in every place
it's shown, often being held over and beating out Hollywood blockbusters
for attendance. Wild also makes sure a discussion forum follows each
screening for anyone who is interested in debating the topic.

For the Surrey screenings, the forums will be moderated by James
Tigchelaar, outreach team leader for B.C. Centre for Disease Control's
street nurse program. Everyone, no matter what their background, level of
knowledge or opinion is welcome to ask questions and talk about the film
and the issue of addiction.

Health-care professionals and social service professionals will be present
to field questions. On opening night, Friday, Sept. 19, Dr. David Henderson
from South Fraser Community Resources will also attend.

"The reason we've chosen Surrey is because the whole drug scene and issue
has really been debated a lot (and) that there would be an interested
audience and also interesting people involved in the discussion. And that's
proven to be true," Wild said.

No matter whether people are in favour of a safe injection site or not, the
issue of drugs and addiction is one that Surrey and the Lower Mainland must
come to terms with.

"I think what happens with social change is that for 10 years or more the
happening people - whether they are health care professionals or activists
or whoever - put the kindling in place for the fire through good research
and then a spark hits. In this particular case it was (former Vancouver
mayor) Philip Owen being thrown out of his party on this and the guy
basically not taking a dive for what was politically convenient, but
holding his ground and the city kind of went 'whoa, this is hardball.' And
it took off from there.

"Let's face it, 27 cities in the world have already opened safe injection
sites so we're not exactly reinventing the wheel here."

Fix: The Story of an Addicted City shows at 7 p.m. nightly Sept. 19 to 21
at Hollywood 3 cinema, located at 7125-138th St., Surrey. The film contains
coarse language and graphic scenes of needle injection some viewers may
find objectionable.