The documentary, Recovery City, directed by Watertown filmmaker Lisa Olivieri will be screening at West Newton Cinema on April 25 at 6:30 PM as part of the Local Spotlight Series. There will be a Q&A with Olivieri and the film’s participants following the film. See more information about the film provided by the Recovery City Team.
“This is a film about women in recovery. This is the comeback story.”
Watertown-based filmmaker Lisa Olivieri is thrilled to announce that her latest documentary, Recovery City, will be screening at the West Newton Cinema as part of the Local Spotlight Series. Filmed over four years in Worcester, MA, Recovery City is a raw exploration of what it means to be in recovery as seen through the eyes of four women whose lives share a common thread: addiction.
Christine fights to regain custody of her young children while grappling with a traumatic past, and battling stigma from the very systems that are designed to help her. Bridget, who found recovery while in prison, now facilitates peer-led support meetings for women. On the frontlines, recovery coaches Janis and Rebecca navigate the city’s toughest corners offering support and trying to save lives. In this portrait of resilience, grit, and camaraderie, the women use their lived experience to lift up those still struggling while refusing to give up hope.
Lisa Olivieri, who was raised in Newton, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her first documentary, Blindsided, is an intimate portrait of an artist slowly losing her sight and hearing while surviving her abusive girlfriend.
The film has won numerous awards, including the Artistic Achievement Award in Directing from the qFLIX Film Festival/Worcester and the Jury Award for Best Documentary from The Women’s Film Festival/Philadelphia. Blindsided aired on Maine Public Television in 2016 and received national grants from LEF Foundation, Frameline Film and Video Completion Fund, Women in Film Foundation and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Recovery City had its World Premiere at the Provincetown International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film also won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the GlobeDocs Film Festival, and Mystic Film Festival’s Human Rights Award.
Tickets on sale now: https://www.westnewtoncinema.com/movie/recovery-city