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Through a Blue Lens

Veronica Alice Mannix, 1999, 52 min 13 s
Constable Al Arsenault, along with six other policemen, document the people on their beat to create a powerful film about ...
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Constable Al Arsenault, along with six other policemen, document the people on their beat to create a powerful film about drug abuse. This group of officers developed a unique relationship with addicts in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. In this documentary, drug addicts talk openly about how they got to the streets and send a powerful message of caution to others about the dangers of drug abuse.
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  • Through a Blue Lens

    Through a Blue Lens

    Seven Vancouver policemen who call themselves the Odd Squad use video to document the addicts on their beat. The officers use the chilling images to deliver anti-drug messages to high school students. Filmmaker Veronica Mannix turned her camera on the work of this unique police unit to produce this documentary. Contains graphic scenes. Previewing recommended.

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A portrait of two young addicts and despairing parents. Directed by former addict and street kid Andrée Cazabon, the film brings dignity to the family struggle. Some subtitles. A comprehensive user's booklet is included, with notes for parents and professionals.

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Katerina Cizek By Katerina Cizek
Manifesto Point # 6: Work through the ethics, privacy and consent process with your partners before you begin, and adapt your project accordingly. Sometimes it means changing your whole approach – or even dropping it. That’s the cost of being ethical. Here’s a controversial one. An undoubtedly gripping and raw film, Through a Blue Lens (1999) raises serious questions about the ethics, privacy and consent issues when police arm themselves with video technology in the “mean streets” of Vancouver. The police motivation for making this film was honorable: they hoped to create an educational tool to help prevent drug use among young people by filming what they witnessed on the job every day. But video in the hands of law enforcement is a tricky issue. How much did the subjects have a say in the making and distribution of this film? This is one of the NFB’s best selling DVDs of all time. But should this film have been made in the first place?
Cast or participant
Nicola
Carlee
Curtis
Lana
Serena
Todd
Frank
Randy
Darlene
Shannon
Michelle
Henry
Karen
Romana
Photography
Toby Hinton
Dave Kolb
Dale Weidman
Len Hollingsworth
Al Arsenault
Mark Steinkampf
Walt McKay
Daniel C. Mannix
Director
Veronica Alice Mannix
Editing
Shelly Hamer
Jim Mitchell
Carla Webb
Andy Tomec
Michelle Bjornson
Jim Porter
Rudolf Kovanic
Dave Lank
Brent Marchenski
Al Arsenault
Toby Hinton
Bob Semeniuk
Christopher Grabowski
Christopher Keam
Rainmaker Digital Pictures
Carousel Video Transfers Ltd.
Kathryn Lynch
Bruce Hagerman
Graydon McCrea
Consultant
Michelle Bjornson
Music
Dennis Burke
Sound
Jonathan Ritchie
Orca Pacific Productions
Orca Pacific Productions
Producer
Gillian Darling Kovanic
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By Genre Documentary  

By Related keywords abuse   addiction   British Columbia   drug addicts   drugs   drug abuse   education programs   homeless people   police   street people   substance abuse   Vancouver  

By Director Veronica Alice Mannix