“Our stories have a lot more to offer than how we have been painted for decades”:

ANPUD releases 11 short films that can change your perspective



Please direct your queries to:

Bikas Gurung at 

Please use the hashtags #ANPUDShortFilms & #ChangePerspectives
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“Our stories have a lot more to offer than how we have been painted for decades”

ANPUD releases 11 short films that can change your perspective
– #ANPUDShortFilms #Change Perspectives

Bangkok (14 January 2019) – The Asian Network of People who Use Drugs (ANPUD) has released 11 short films that are developed around issues of people who use drugs, particularly in the countries in South and Southeast Asian regions. The short films were submitted by filmmakers who have been part of the event “ANPUD Short Films Competition 2018”. The competition was launched in July 2018 in celebration of the 10th anniversary of ANPUD.

One of the viewers of ANPUD’s YouTube channel commented on a short film from the Philippines saying,

“While watching, the only way to not get my heart shattered into million pieces is to pretend I don’t have one…. pretending to be heartless, as heartless as President Duterte!!!”.

The short films depict the environmental (or contextual) realities in which drug using communities have been compelled to suffer from many forms of human rights abuses. These realities have been told in many platforms and are only one small aspect of the lives of people who use drugs. Each short film that ANPUD has released will tell or reveal truths about various aspects of their lives that have either been generally ignored or painted as evil and inhuman with moral/political inks.

Below are all the 11 short films among which winners will be selected by an independent Jury composed of filmmaker, community activist, funding partners and technical agencies. Please watch all the movies and do not forget to share them to your friends.

1

ASK JIRASAK: 12 THINGS YABA USERS SHOULD KNOW

A short film from Thailand – By Jirasak Sripramong

Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS), particularly Crystal Methamphetamine (a.k.a Ice) and Yaba are very popular drugs in Asia. The rapid rise in ATS use has panicked governments in the region. They have resorted to war on drugs approaches while they have no clue that this drug isn’t bad, at least not anywhere near to the extent they have been painting it for the public.

“ASK JIRASAK” is an attempt to reduce the panic through sharing of 25 years of lived experiences with Yaba. He gives 12 valuable harm reduction tips to anyone who is planning or have been using Yaba or other ATS. The core idea behind this short film is that, “People are going to use drugs regardless of any deterring factors  and ATS is widely available to everyone. If they are going to use it then, at least Jirasak’s experience will reduce harms and even save lives.”

2

A BOXING COUNTRY

A short film from Philippines – By Arjanmar Rebeta

A professional boxer, after going through compulsory drug detention (treatment), pursues to fight and regain his title in honor of his country finds himself in the Blue Box – the box of prejudice created by his fellowmen influenced by war on drugs.

3

A JAIL IN A JAILED NATION

A short film from Philippines – By People who use drugs of the Philippines

Between July 2016 and October 2018, the Philippines National Police (PNP) has reported arrests of more than 164,000 people who use or sell drugs. In the same period over 27,000 killings have been reported which has inadvertently created ignorance to the lives of thousands who are alive and jailed without any due process. Therefore, the filmmaker sets on his mission to learn inside stories of the Cebu City Jail and reveals everything he found out.

4