Beginning in 2018, I partnered with novelist Kyle Minor and students at IUI to produce three films addressing the opioid crisis in Scott County, Indiana: two narrative short films shot on location with local casts and crews, and The Long Run, a documentary following Wes Doty, a man in recovery who rebuilds his life through long-distance running.

A video thumbnail of a man in a blue t-shirt standing in a dimly lit living room.
A video thumbnail of a man wearing a green t-shirt and a camo baseball hat heading out the door of a camper.
A video thumbnail of a man in running clothes jogging parallel to the camera.
A movie poster for a film featuring an abstract black and white image of running legs, and including the film title, "The Long Run," and 6 film festival logos.

An Unexpected Gift

The films in the Hard Choices collection include:

  • An Unexpected Gift is a narrative film made in Scott county. Estranged from his father, a social misfit uses pills to cope with his awkwardness. It may take a gift in disguise to bring them together. (Screenplay by Kyle Minor)
  • First of the Month is a narrative film made in Scott county. Gene is living in a trailer in his landlord’s backyard. Rent is past due. Gene has to figure out how to take care of his two daughters and come up with the rent money. (Screenplay by Kyle Minor)
  • The Long Run Trailer The trailer for the documentary about Wes Doty and his struggle to beat addiction.
  • The Long Run Wes Doty endured years of extreme heroin use before running across the solution to his recovery. This film documents Wes’s successful turn to running to conquer his addiction and his training to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

More interviews about the opioid crisis in Indiana can be found at opioidstories.org.