By: Owen Fugit

Editorial Editor

Crowds flocked to the Los Gatos Cinelux Theatre on Dec 6. to watch the premiere of Fentanyl High, a film about the Fentanyl crisis. LGHS senior Kyle Santoro wrote, directed, and produced the film, enlisting the help of fellow students, faculty members, and community advocates to spread the message about fentanyl. 

This past May, Santoro held a screening at the LGHS theater for the first cut of the film. “That was the first draft of pretty much the first cut of the film. Obviously, that version is extremely different than the one we saw last night,” Santoro stated. He reflected on the process of the premiere, saying, “You always had that thought in the back of your head where something could go wrong, but …all you can do is focus and really lock in and problem solve anything that comes up until you get what you want.” During the screening, everything went smoothly, and the film left the audience speechless. 

According to Santoro, the goal of the film is not to simply put out a PSA against Fentanyl, but to “turn into a fentanyl awareness social movement that can grow on its own.” The documentary features interviews with medical experts from Stanford, alongside interviews with students who suffered from substance abuse and can testify to the dangers of fentanyl. Santoro explains why he chose to feature students prominently, saying, “The educational drug resources out there at the moment are really from adults. If you’re a kid going through that stuff, it can be intimidating. The unique thing about this movement and project is that you’re hearing it directly from people who are your age and going through similar things.” Santoro focused on the peer-to-peer conversational aspect to find new ways to solve the substance abuse problem

In the documentary, Santoro emphasizes the importance of communication. Almost every interviewee testifies to the idea of communication as the number one way to help someone struggling with substance abuse. According to Santoro, “being able to open that realm of discussion among teenagers from peer-to-peer and from parents-to-peers can not only prevent deaths from drugs, but it can also heal some of the pain or conflict that kids are going through at home.” Another key component of the film is how social media is vital in how kids buy and receive drugs. The film features scenes with characters messaging dealers over Snapchat, highlighting the dangers of an anonymous and private messaging system.

Santoro’s company, LC2 Productions, is working with Cinelux and other companies to distribute the film around the Bay Area, and, eventually, across California and the nation. Santoro’s main message is to communicate about fentanyl, and he is working with professionals to produce a study guide campaign to go alongside the movie and spread additional awareness. Look for Fentanyl High screenings near you to learn more about how you can help stop this epidemic.