Saturday, February 11 Only
After both screenings there will be a talkback moderated by Producer, Brian Long with author Linda Lajterman and Community Prevention Educator for the Council on Addiction Prevention & Education (CAPE), Dora Celestino.
Director: Sarah T. Schwab
Producer: Sarah T. Schwab, Florenzia Lonzano, Charlene Gianetti, Brian Long, John Beamer
Writers: Sarah T. Schwab, Florenzia Lonzano adapted from the book Life After You: What Your Death from Drugs Leaves Behind, by Linda Lajterman
Cast: Florenzia Lonzano, Kathryn Erbe, muMs the Schemer (Craig muMs Grant), Melanie Nichols-King, Tina Benko
In the last several years, the number one killer of Americans between 18 and 45 came from fentanyl overdoses (more than COVID-19). Each death leaves a wake of grief behind it. Life After You is a narrative feature film centered around a suburban family's struggle with the death of their 19 year-old son, following an overdose of heroin that was laced with fentanyl. The film, which explores the question of who and what is responsible for this tragedy, is inspired by the book, Life After You: What Your Death From Drugs Leaves Behind by Linda Lajterman. We hope our film sparks a much-needed dialogue among parents, teenagers, and officials who are in a position to address the heroin epidemic.
1hr 30mins / R
PANEL BIOS
Brian Long: Producer and Moderator
Production Company: Cardinal Flix
Brian Long is a film producer and Obie-Award-winning theater producer. His films include A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud (directed by Karen Allen), "A" My Name Is and Life After You (both written and directed by Sarah T. Schwab) and the upcoming film Hamlet in Bed (featuring Annette O’Toole). Brian served as the Managing Director of Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre for nine years. During his tenure, Rattlestick produced over 40 World Premieres by some of our nation’s most important playwrights, including Jesse Eisenberg, Annie Baker, Heidi Schreck, Sam Hunter, Jose Rivera, Adam Rapp, and Craig Lucas.
Linda Lajterman: Author, Life After You: What Your Death from Drugs Leaves Behind
Linda Lajterman is a registered nurse and disability management consultant. She and her husband, Tito, live in New Jersey, where they have raised their three children. After their youngest son died from a drug overdose, Linda was compelled to write Life After You: What Your Death from Drugs Leaves Behind, to help young people understand what happens to the people that love them the most when they make bad choices. Her hope is that the book will be used as a tool to supplement the drug and awareness programs in schools and counseling programs in the U.S. and around the world.
Dora Celestino: Community Prevention Educator
Organization: Council on Addiction Prevention & Education (CAPE)
My role as Community Prevention Educator is as follows: Provide evidence-based educational programs and services throughout the community that focus on addiction prevention. Implement appropriate intervention and prevention strategies and nationally established evidence-based drug prevention educational programs related to substance use and addiction to families, schools, community-based organizations, businesses, and the entire community as a whole. Promote drug-free initiatives in the community to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors, provide community interaction events, projects, and programming. Coordinator of two community coalitions for drug-free communities through a strategic prevention framework. My goal is to empower the community with knowledge and tools to equip youth with healthy alternatives to risky behaviors that often contribute to poor mental and behavioral health and substance use/misuse. CAPE strongly believes that the power of prevention makes a difference in the quality of life in our community.