Presenting a Video Series

An excellent and inexpensive way to introduce a group of potential activists to the topics of drug policy reform is to present a video series. A series of video presentations can be informal, entertaining and packed with information.

Make this a serious and official event as an educational exercise and an introduction to activism. Plan to show a video a week for four weeks or so, with ample time allotted afterward for group discussion. Have everyone take notes during the viewing for further questions, discussion or research. Talk about how the ideas and concepts in these films can be best utilized for public education and empowerment.

Be aware that you need special permission from the copyright holder(s) for public viewing of these films. An informal small group watching a video at someone's home would NOT be considered a public viewing; but reserving a room (i.e. at a public library) and publicizing a viewing event would be. This is true even for the mainstream Hollywood films listed below.

A sample video presentation series could include:
WEEK 1: SNITCH - A great introduction the the inherent injustice in the War on Drugs focusing on conspiracy laws and prosecutor abuse. 90 minutes long.
WEEK 2: DRUG WARS, Part 1 - A comprehensive overview of the futility of legislating morality. 90 minutes long.
WEEK 3: DRUG WARS, Part 2 - 90 minutes long.
WEEK 4: TRAFFIC - A powerful and moving drama about the nation's drug czar awakening to the harsh reality of the War on Drugs. 2 hours long.

Below are some suggestions for your video presentations.

Documentaries and Docu-dramas:

SNITCH - PBS FRONTLINE: Investigates how a fundamental shift in the country's anti-drug laws -- including federal mandatory minimum sentencing and conspiracy provisions -- has bred a culture of snitching that is in many cases rewarding the guiltiest and punishing the less guilty. Must viewing for any discussion of American Drug Policy. Transcripts and sales available online HERE.

DRUG WARS - PBS FRONTLINE: From both sides of the battlefield, a 30-year history of America's war on drugs - a war with no rules, no boundaries and no end. A 2-part presentation. Transcripts and sales available online HERE.

BUSTED: AMERICA'S WAR ON MARIJUANA - PBS FRONTLINE: The United States government spends nearly $2.5 billion each year to process arrests related to marijuana production and sales, which often carry severe penalties. Transcripts and sales available online HERE.

DEAR JUDGE - Award winning documentary by Laleh Soomekh. "Dear Judge, I need my mom..." writes one of Dorothy Gaines' three children to the judge about to decide her fate on a minor drug charge. Gaines received a sentence of 19 years. During her incarceration, the kids take to the streets with petitions to try to win clemency for their mom, and learn to cope without her. Read Dorothy's story HERE. You can contact Laleh Soomekh to order this film at 323-669-7302 or angellts@aol.com.

TULIA, TX: SCENES FROM THE DRUG WAR - A film from The William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice. A shocking look at the collateral consequences of America's racist drug war. Sales available online HERE.

A SENTENCE OF THEIR OWN - A film by Edgar A. Barens. Chronicles one family's annual pilgrimage to a New Hampshire State Prison and reveals the damaging impact incarceration has on families. Sales available online HERE.

COCA MAMA: THE WAR ON DRUGS - A film by Jan Thielen. Is the "war on drugs" effective? Or is it a colossal waste of money and manpower? Filmed over a year in four countries, this powerful documentary brings us face-to-face with coca-growing peasants, anti-narcotic patrols, and American lawmakers. Sales available online HERE.

GRASS - A film by Ron Mann. Years in the making, this much-anticipated documentary presents a humorous and surprisingly balanced history of recreational marijuana use in the late 20th century. Learn how a nice person like yourself became a dangerous criminal. Available HERE or at Amazon.com.

HOLLYWOOD HIGH - An AMC Original Production. From elation to despair, the drug experience has been a consistent thread in American cinema since the earliest days of film. Directed by Directors Guild of America winner Bruce Sinofsky, "Hollywood High" uncovers the story of drugs as an ever-present fixture of the American experience. Available soon from American Movie Classics.

GUILT BY ASSOCIATION - A CourtTV Original Movie. The story of Susan Walker, a single mother who becomes an unwitting victim of America's War on Drugs. Good study of mandatory sentencing and conspiracy laws. Based on a true story. Available soon from CourtTV.

Alternatively, you could present an audio series of presentations - all you need is a computer and Internet access. Many audio files on a variety of drug policy subject matter are available at the Audio Archives of DrugSense Net Radio.

Mainstream Cinema:

TRAFFIC - Directed by Steven Soderbergh; starring Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Quaid. One of the few mainstream Hollywood films to tackle head-on the futility of the War on Drugs. Based on the BBC Miniseries TRAFFIK. Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Screenplay. Available at your local video store or from Amazon.com.

TRAFFIK - A film by Alastair Reid, starring Julia Ormond, Bill Paterson and Lindsay Duncan. Emmy Award winning BBC Miniseries on which the film TRAFFIC (above) was based. The failure of the drug war from a European perspective. Available at your local video store or from Amazon.com.

TRAINING DAY - A film by Antoine Fuqua, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. A gritty and unflinching look at the police corruption spawned by drug prohibition. Best Actor Oscar for Denzel Washington. Based on true stories from the notorious LAPD Rampart Anti-Gang Unit scandal. Available at your local video store or from Amazon.com.

RUSH - A film by Lili Fini Zanuck; starring Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Inspired by a true story and based on a book by ex-narcotics officer Kim Wozencraft; the saga of two undercover cops who become corrupt and addicted to the very drugs they seek to eradicate. A great morality tale of the hypocrisy of our drug laws. Available at your local video store or from Amazon.com.

RETURN TO PARADISE - A film by Joseph Ruben; starring Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche. The story of three American friends traveling in Malaysia who end up facing a death penalty for hashish trafficking. Compelling tale of the extreme end of international drug policies. Available at your local video store or from Amazon.com.

ANIMAL FACTORY - A film by Steve Buscemi; starring Edward Furlong and Willem Dafoe. Based on the novel of the same name by former San Quentin prisoner Edward Bunker. The story of a young man doing ten years for marijuana conspiracy, and his gradual institutionalization amid the madness and violence that surrounds him. Available at your local video store or from Amazon.com.

BROKEDOWN PALACE - A film by Jonathan Kaplan; starring Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale. Two all-American college girls vacationing in Thailand unwittingly run afoul of that nation's draconian drug laws and are sentenced to decades in a Thai prison. Available at your local video store or from Amazon.com.

SCARFACE - A film by Howard Hawks; starring Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak and Boris Karloff. The tale of Prohibition-era mobster Tony Camonte, a character obviously patterned on Al Capone (whose nickname was "Scarface"). Considered the best of the classic bootlegging gangster movies. Available HERE, at your local video store or from Amazon.com.

REEFER MADNESS - Classic, campy and positively absurd, this film also serves as an excellent primer on the outrageous propaganda that has always surrounded American drug policy. Available at your local video store or from Amazon.com.