Raw Opium
Raw Opium is a 2011 documentary film and two-part TV series produced by Robert Lang of Kensington Communications, directed by Peter Findlay and written by Peter Findlay and Robert Lang. The documentary examines the worldwide opium trade, and the vast criminal and public health issues that have arisen alongside.[1]
Raw Opium is a journey around the world and through time, where conflicting forces do battle over the narcotic sap of the opium poppy. From an opium master in southeast Asia to a UN drug enforcement officer on the border of Afghanistan hunting down the smugglers of Central Asia; from a former Indian government Drug Czar and opium farmer to a crusading Vancouver doctor and Portuguese street worker who daily confront the realities of drug addiction.
We see how this flower has played, and continues to play, a pivotal role – not just in the lives of people who grow, manufacture and use it – but also in the increasingly tense sphere of international relations. In the process, our assumptions about addiction and the War on Drugs are challenged.
| Raw Opium | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Peter Findlay |
| Produced by | Robert Lang |
| Written by | Peter Findlay, Robert Lang |
| Distributed by | Kensington Communications |
Release date | 2011 |
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | Canada, India, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Portugal |
| Language | English |
Production credits
Director: Peter D. Findlay
Producer: Robert Lang
Written by: Peter D. Findlay, Robert Lang
Associate Producer / Researcher: Scott Calbeck
Cinematographers: Derek Rogers, Jonathan Bland
Editor: Michael Fuller
Sound Recordists: Mike Fillipov, Ao Loo, Kevin Pinto
Production Manager: David Meth
Original Music: John Findlay
Narration: Peter D. Findlay, John Kramer
Narrator: John Ralston
Editorial Consultant: John Kramer
Head of Development: David Oppenheim
Executive Producer: Robert Lang
Produced by Kensington Communications Inc. in association with TVO, Canal D (owned by Astral Media), SCN, CTV Two, ZDF-ARTE, and SBS-TV Australia. Produced with the participation of the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and Rogers Documentary Fund. Produced with the financial participation of Canadian Television Fund, and with the assistance of the CANWEST-HOT Docs Completion Fund.
Filming locations
- Canada
- India
- Tajikistan
- Afghanistan
- Portugal
People in the documentary
Christer Brannerud: Project lead, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Tajikistan
Dr. Gabor Maté: Physician, Author, Public Speaker, Vancouver, Canada
Peter Dale Scott: Author and Commentator, Berkeley, USA
Larry Mendosa: Special Agent, Drug Enforcement Administration, USA
Gwynne Dyer: Author, Historian, Journalist, London, UK
Misha Glenny: Journalist, Author, UK
Darwin Fisher: Intake manager, Insite, Vancouver, Canada
Derek Thomas: Client at Insite, Vancouver, Canada
Eugene Oscapella: Barrister and Solicitor, Ottawa, Canada
Pam Squire, MD.: Doctor, Pain Management Specialist, Vancouver, Canada
Daniel Reid: Author and Historian, Australia
Peresia and Danglesia Kathak: Opium farmers, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Romesh Bhattacharji: Former Narcotics Commissioner, India
Rui Reis: Outreach worker, Institute on Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal
Broadcasts
The 2-part TV documentary has been shown in several countries.
- 2-part documentary, broadcast, online streamed with a live chat, TVO, Ontario, Canada, tvo.org/rawopium
- 2-part documentary, broadcast on CTV Two, Alberta, Canada
- 8 minute segment of Raw Opium broadcast as part of The Economist Film Project on PBS NewsHour, USA
- Feature French version broadcast on Canal D throughout French Canada
- 2-part documentary broadcast on SBS TV, Australia
- Feature documentary broadcast in Germany, France, Switzerland on ZDF and Arte
References
- ↑ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime The Global Afghan Opium Trade: A Threat Assessment, UNDOC (July, 2011)
Notes from the official website: http://kensingtontv.com/rawopium/film/