Documentary to examine drug addictions

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Amy Pauszek was inspired by a Carmel friend’s Facebook post about opioid addiction.

The friend was saddened about having to attend another young person’s funeral due to drug overdoses.

ND GRATEFUL 0226 Pauszek head shot
Pauszek

“I saw the enormous outpour of love and concern and I knew this would be my next documentary feature film that I wanted to produce,” Pauszek said.

Pauszek, a Geist resident, reached out to former Fishers resident Lisa Hall, who now resides in Nashville, Ind., and works with women incarcerated for substance abuse. Together, they decided to team up as executive producers to make the film, which is called “The Addict’s Wake.”

“This film was important to me, personally, because I lost my best friend to suicide from a prescription overdose more than 10 years ago and it still haunts me,” Pauszek said. “Addiction sees no age, race or economic status.”

Zionsville resident Michael Husain agreed to direct the feature-length documentary.

ND ADDICTS WAKE 1105 Husain
Husain

Husain said there is probably three months or more of filming remaining for the documentary, which follows addicts in Brown County.

“We are following characters over time,” Husain said. “Some of that requires checking in over every week or two. We are trying to tell the story of addiction and its impact on a community.”

Pauszek said Brown County is a microcosm what is happening in small rural counties throughout the the nation.

“This is a community that is close-knit and so the disease is heavily felt,” she said.

Pauszek, whose Where’s Amy photo column appears in Current newspapers, was the executive producer and producer of “Grateful,” a 2018 documentary on Indianapolis resident Jenni Berebitsky, who fought a courageous battle with ALS. Berebitsky died in August at age 43.

The film will be shown at the Indiana Conference for Women Nov. 7 at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Pauszek and “Grateful” Executive Producer Joyce Kleinman, Berebitsky’s mother, will be part of a question and answer session.


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