dope is death image
 

Dope is Death

by Mia Donovan
The story of how Tupac Shakur’s stepfather Dr. Mutulu Shakur, along with fellow Black Panthers and the Young Lords, created the first acupuncture detoxification program in the U.S.
2020  ·  1h21m  ·  Canada
English
English subs
About the Film

In 1973, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, along with fellow Black Panthers and the Young Lords, combined community health with radical politics to create the first acupuncture detoxification program in America. DOPE IS DEATH explores how this form of radical harm reduction was a revolutionary act toward the government programs that transfixed the lives of black and brown communities throughout the South Bronx.

DOPE IS DEATH utilizes an abundant archive while giving us insight into how the acupuncture clinic rose to prominence and, despite funding challenges, still functions to this day. Some of those who benefited from the program became acupuncturists themselves. Dr. Mutulu’s legacy is cemented within this profound story of community healing and activism. (Amir George of True/False)

Cinema Politica is the proud distributor of Dope is Death. Visit our distribution catalog to learn more about the licensing options.
Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

Festivals and Awards
2023
Toronto Pan Afrikan Film Festival, Official Selection
2021
Toronto Black Film Festival , Closing Film
2020
DOC NYC, Official Selection
2020
DokuFest, Official Selection
2020
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Official Selection
2020
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Canadian Premiere
2020
Cleveland International Film Festival, Official Selection
2020
True/False, World Premiere
Director
Mia Donovan
Editor
Mia Donovan
Additional Editors
Myriam Magassouba, Ryan Mullins
Original Music
Ramachandra Borcar
Sound Designer and Re-recording Mixer
Cory Rizos
Online Editor
Samantha Neboschizkij
Production Manager
Marina Serrão
Associate Producer
Katie McKay
Line Producer
Valerie Shamash
Producer
Bob Moore
Executive Producer
Daniel Cross, Mila Aung-Thwin
About the Director

Mia Donovan

Mia Donovan is a filmmaker based in Montreal. She has written and directed three feature documentaries, Inside Lara Roxx (2011), Deprogrammed (2015) and Dope is Death (2020). Her films have been presented worldwide at film festivals, on TV broadcasts, theatrically and on digital platforms such as Netflix. In 2016 she wrote and directed her first virtual reality experience called Deprogrammed VR (2016) which won the coveted IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling that year. Aside from working on her own projects, she worked as a story consultant on Ubisoft’s Far Cry 5 and directed the music video for Rufus Wainwright’s video Trouble In Paradise. She is currently developing her first narrative feature called The Touch of Her Flesh.

 
Other films by Mia Donovan

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