WMTW reports on making of documentary by UMM students
WMTW (Channel 8 in Portland) reported on the making of the 2016 documentary “Whatever Works: Exploring Opiate Addiction.” The hourlong film was produced in a University of Maine at Machias video class led by Alan Kryszak. When Kryszak was searching for a topic for his documentary class, the state’s heroin and opioid crisis stood out, according to the report. “I asked the class if anyone here was not affected by opiate addiction and everybody knew somebody,” Kryszak said. Ciara Schoppee, a first-year student from Machias, had never made a film before taking the class. “At the end of the day, we want to show that there is hope, that there are resources out there that can help you,” Schoppee said. “As a community, we need to stop saying, ‘It’s not our problem,’ because it’s everybody’s problem.” Other UMM students involved in the project included Marc Brine, Natalie Cline, Jose Gurrola, Brennon Chipman, Carolin Moreta, Maximiliaan Peeters and Lorenzo Segura. The film can be seen on YouTube.