Maverick Cop Doc to air on Global December 9 -- Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey

For immediate release: November 27, 2006 Maverick Cop Doc to air on Global December 9 Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey Halifax-based imX Communications and the NFB's Atlantic Studio have completed production on Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey. The one- hour documentary, written and directed by Connie Littlefield, is the first to focus on maverick cops whose years of experience in fighting the war on drugs has turned them into crusaders for legalization. The film airs at 7 p.m. E.S.T. on Saturday, December 9, as part of Global TV's Global Currents; a new series of social issue documentaries. Instead of making sweeping statements about the drug war, Damage Done works on a human level – focusing on the transformation of former drug-fighting cops. They may be Libertarians, Republicans, Socialists, or evangelical Christians, but the one thing they all have in common is their conviction that the war on drugs is a terrible mistake. They include Canadian Constable John Gayder, who is one of the founders of LEAP: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. It includes 18-year veteran Howard Wooldridge, who rode a one-eyed horse across America while wearing his trademark cowboy hat and a t-shirt emblazoned with “Cops Say Legalize Drugs. Ask Me Why.” The film also features Cele Castillo, who spent 12 years with the US Drug Enforcement Administration – until a friendly weekly soccer match between agents and members of a local drug cartel made him realize that the drug war was all a game. “All these guys underwent striking transformations,” says Littlefield. “One minute they were ordinary cops, paid to enforce the law: then they each had an epiphany that changed them forever.” Littlefield's last documentary, Hofmann's Potion, was a portrait of the optimism surrounding the early days of LSD – and her interest in making drug-related documentaries is founded on deep personal beliefs. “I'm fascinated by the degree to which we live in denial about drugs-- not just about their prevalence, but about their usefulness. My films are about exposing hypocrisy, and drug policy is one of the most hypocritical things about our society." Development on Damage Done was an odyssey of its own. Funding from CanWest Global finally came through in March – for a late October delivery!! That left a few short weeks to organize a shoot that took the crew-- including Littlefield and Halifax cinematographer Kyle Cameron-- to locations across North America. They went from the Rio Grande, where there was abundant evidence of smuggling a mere 20 feet from the US-Mexico border; to Vancouver's gritty Downtown Eastside, home of Canada's first legal safe injection site; to New York City with cop icon Frank Serpico; and to the halls of Parliament with Senator Larry Campbell, a former drug cop, coroner, and mayor of Vancouver. Now a member of Canada’s Senate, he continues to fight for an end to drug prohibition. Angela Baker edited the project, which also features music by Asif Illyas and Shehab Illyas of the band Mir. Damage Done is produced by Ann Bernier (Folle Embellie, The Wild Dogs) for imX, and Kent Martin (Westray, Hofmann's Potion) for the NFB. Contact: Ann Bernier [email protected]