Home: Hope on the Frontier of Recovery Documentary

 

About the documentary: You can be part of a project that will transform hearts and minds by helping people see the humanity and value in those who have been incarcerated and those who have struggled with substance use disorders. The documentary emphasizes hope and the possibilities of recovery and restorative solutions through a powerful story of healing, innovation, and growth -- set against the current challenges and highest-ever levels of overdoses recently reported. 

18 million Americans suffer from untreated addictions to substances, many in plain sight, impacting families, communities, and society. Half of the 2 million Americans who are incarcerated struggle with these substance use disorders. There is hope: restorative pathways can end the cycles of pain and damage to themselves and their communities, and shift biases that downplay their human dignity and potential for healing. Our 501(c)3 nonprofit, OneStepHope, is in post-production for an already-filmed documentary tells an uplifting, raw, authentic, and powerful story of individual, family, and community transformation.

If you had witnessed Kara Nelson - hurting, angry, hopeless, addicted - while she served time for multiple felony convictions, it would not have seemed likely that she would become a hope-filled activist bringing innovative, restorative solutions to the worlds of recovery and criminal legal system reform. After 15+ years in and out of jail while battling substance use disorders, abusive relationships, and hard living, there were not indications that she could become a voice of hope and healing for the broken. Today, she is a powerful force for on-the-ground solutions that are helping people and communities rebuild. She has advised local, state, and national leaders on restorative policies and legislation. A personal awakening and experience with unconditional love transformed her life and her family. Restoration healed estranged relationships, caused her religiously upright father - previously uncaring for the incarcerated and addicted - to change careers and become a prison chaplain, and gave her an unswerving passion to serve those who remain unseen and unaware of who they can be.

Kara’s story is a beautiful reminder of the power of hope and love that fights for the broken no matter how hard it gets, first seen in those who fought for her. It also demonstrates how individuals from different political persuasions and world-views can come together to create solutions that rebuild individuals, communities, and systems, one life at a time. Our documentary will celebrate a whole community of changemakers who have come together across differences to address addiction and incarceration challenges via connection and innovative solutions. It features a range of individuals who are spearheading needed shifts for their communities, from on-the-ground advocates to family members to a current U.S. Senator, former governor, and other state leaders.

Hope for individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use disorders, incarceration, and associated challenges lies in restorative solutions. But change in hearts and minds is where it all starts. Our approach to change is informed by research on the importance of stigma and public awareness, and celebrates multiple pathways to recovery, with an emphasis on evidence-based approaches.

This film will shift perceptions and communicate how both the destructive influences of substance use disorders and the transformative experience of recovery can impact anyone, no matter their economic status or other aspects of background. Distribution of the documentary will include festivals, faith communities, and other channels. A primary emphasis will be showings in cities across the country that celebrate and raise support for local efforts, activating resources and people to be a part of the solutions that are already impacting lives and families.

If you would like to partner with us to bring a showing of Home: Hope on the Frontier of Recovery to your community or organization, please email [email redacted]e.