Through a Blue Lens
Encyclopedia
Through a Blue Lens is a documentary film
produced by the National Film Board of Canada
. The film follows interactions between police officer
s and drug addicts and documents the extreme poverty and suffering many addicts endure.
and directed by Veronica Alice Mannix. It was shot in Vancouver
's Downtown Eastside
. The film is 52 minutes in length and incorporates 22 minutes of footage shot by a group of Vancouver Police Officers called The Odd Squad Productions Society (http://www.oddsquad.com).
Through A Blue Lens documents a year of life and death on the street and behind tenement walls. The striking thing about the film is not the horror of drug abuse
but the story of how the interaction between the police and the drug addicts, with the camera as a catalyst, actually changed the people involved. The cops became more sympathetic to the people on the street and the drug addicts, in having friendship extended to them by the police and film makers, developed self esteem and, in some cases, actually cleaned up.
This documentary was made during the height of the then unpublished scandal of the missing women in downtown Vancouver
. At least one of the women who appears on camera named April Reoch was later identified as one of the victims. She died on Christmas Day of 2000.
The Mannix’s were asked by the officers to teach them to use a video camera
, so they started by teaching camera handling, camera ethics and power relationships. Following videotaping, the officers would leave the video tapes with Veronica Mannix for screening and comments. Her comments would include direction on follow-up with specific participants. It was during this time that Veronica's vision formed of the relationship of these two unlikely groups of people coming together to try to make a difference. She pitched the story and the National Film Board supported her vision. Veronica used 22 minutes of the officers 100 hours of videotape; the remainder of the footage was shot by Daniel Mannix as directed by Veronica. Through a Blue Lens started out with seven police officers and nineteen drug users. The final participants included four officers and six drug users.
. The editor is Shelly Hamer. Running time is 52 minutes.
Tears For April: Beyond The Blue Lens was independently produced by The Odd Squad Productions Society (http://www.oddsquad.com). It is co-directed by Al Arsenault and Ken Jubenvill, with writing by Steve Berry.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
produced by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
. The film follows interactions between police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s and drug addicts and documents the extreme poverty and suffering many addicts endure.
Production
Through a Blue Lens was produced by the National Film Board of CanadaNational Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
and directed by Veronica Alice Mannix. It was shot in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
's Downtown Eastside
Downtown Eastside
The Downtown Eastside is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is known as "Canada's poorest postal code"....
. The film is 52 minutes in length and incorporates 22 minutes of footage shot by a group of Vancouver Police Officers called The Odd Squad Productions Society (http://www.oddsquad.com).
Description
This award-winning documentary film, shot in Vancouver, Canada’s notorious Downtown Eastside, caught the eyes of audiences, film makers and critics world wide for its unusual and sensitive depiction of life on the street.Through A Blue Lens documents a year of life and death on the street and behind tenement walls. The striking thing about the film is not the horror of drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
but the story of how the interaction between the police and the drug addicts, with the camera as a catalyst, actually changed the people involved. The cops became more sympathetic to the people on the street and the drug addicts, in having friendship extended to them by the police and film makers, developed self esteem and, in some cases, actually cleaned up.
This documentary was made during the height of the then unpublished scandal of the missing women in downtown Vancouver
BC Missing Women Investigation
The BC Missing Women Investigation is an ongoing criminal investigation into the disappearance of at least 60 women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside from the early 1980s through 2002...
. At least one of the women who appears on camera named April Reoch was later identified as one of the victims. She died on Christmas Day of 2000.
Awards
- Japan PrizeJapan Prize (NHK)The Japan Prize is an international competition established by NHK in 1965 to recognize excellence in educational television. As of 2008, the Japan Prize now honors educational videos, movies, websites, games and other interactive audiovisual products along with television content....
(2000) (Tokyo) Category: Adult Education winner - Chris Award (2000) (Columbus, Ohio) Category: Social Issues
- Reel 2 Real International Film Festival (2000) (Vancouver): Award for Most Inspirational Short film or Video - given by the Youth Jury
Origin
While the Mannix team was filming their previous documentary, Down Here, they met two officers who had something to say about the gentrification of the Downtown Eastside. The officers had been using still cameras to document many of the circumstances people suffered and took these images to local schools to educate youth.The Mannix’s were asked by the officers to teach them to use a video camera
Video camera
A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
, so they started by teaching camera handling, camera ethics and power relationships. Following videotaping, the officers would leave the video tapes with Veronica Mannix for screening and comments. Her comments would include direction on follow-up with specific participants. It was during this time that Veronica's vision formed of the relationship of these two unlikely groups of people coming together to try to make a difference. She pitched the story and the National Film Board supported her vision. Veronica used 22 minutes of the officers 100 hours of videotape; the remainder of the footage was shot by Daniel Mannix as directed by Veronica. Through a Blue Lens started out with seven police officers and nineteen drug users. The final participants included four officers and six drug users.
Additional credits
The NFB producer is Gillian Darling Kovanic with Daniel C. Mannix as director of photographyCinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
. The editor is Shelly Hamer. Running time is 52 minutes.
Follow-Up
An official follow-up titled Tears For April: Beyond The Blue Lens (2007), re-introduces the late April Reoch and focuses directly on her struggles with addiction until the discovery of her body on Christmas Day, 2000. Reoch's son Daniel, is also featured in this documentary. The other five users from the previous documentary have made appearances with updated details. Randy Miller, a former user, has successfully stayed sober since 2000. Co-director Al Arsenault, a retired police officer experienced in martial arts, chronicles his experiences with April before her death.Tears For April: Beyond The Blue Lens was independently produced by The Odd Squad Productions Society (http://www.oddsquad.com). It is co-directed by Al Arsenault and Ken Jubenvill, with writing by Steve Berry.
Related Films
- Flipping the World - Drugs Through a Blue Lens (2000) (30 min)
- Directed by Moira Simpson
- Produced for the NFB by Gillian Darling Kovanic & George Johnson
- Through a Clear Lens (2001, Headlines Theatre) - Inspired by The Odd Squads work.