Richmond

DOXA presents The House I Live In

www.doxafestival.ca

7:00pm
- 9:00pm
Thursday February 28 2013

The House I Live In (Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012) is taking a determinedly personal approach to the US War on drugs, Jarecki (Why We Fight) examines this complex and often agonizing issue from multiple perspectives. After more than 40 years of increased policing, 45 million arrests, and draconian sentencing that have made the US into a veritable prison nation, drugs are more abundant and accessible than ever.

From a welter of stories, facts and staggering statistics, Jarecki draws a conclusive statement about the racial implications of the war on drugs. Officially begun under the Nixon Administration, the drug war has been characterized by enormous disparity in sentencing for black and white populations, systemic political and economic corruption. The end result is a brutal toll on poor and already marginalized communities. Psychologists, historians, police officers, and judges provide context and intelligence, but it is writer/journalist David Simon, creator of The Wire, who offers up a particularly cogent analysis of the current situation: “What the drugs haven’t destroyed, the War on Drugs has.”  

With implications far beyond the American example, The House I Live In is a fearless, expansive and often incredibly angry film. It is also a necessary and critical investigation of a subject demands active and thoughtful engagement.

“The most important drug war film
 you’ll ever see.” – Forbes Magazine

“Fearless! A model of the ambitious,
 vitalizing activist work that exists to stir
the sleeping to wake.” – The New York Times

“The house i live in will blow your mind!”
– Indiwire

“Searing! One of the most important pieces
of nonfiction to hit the screen in years.”
– The Los Angeles Times