“Recovery through Expression”: New Jersey’s First Recovery Film Festival Coming In June 2017

Prevention Links and Capacity Images are very excited to present the New Jersey Recovery Film Festival, to be held on June 4, 2016 at the Hamilton Stage in Rahway, New Jersey. The event will be showcasing films that tell stories, and share experiences in addiction, strength discovered on the journey and the hope found in recovery.

“Prevention Links decided to sponsor New Jersey’s first Recovery Film Festival because we’re dedicated to promoting recovery. We’d like to change the language and the narrative around addiction and demonstrate to people that recovery is possible and it should be celebrated,” says Pamela Capaci, CEO of Prevention Links.

The event will be benefitting NJ’s first public recovery high school, the Raymond J. Lesniak Experience, Strength, Hope Recovery High School. The facility opened in November of 2014 and was named after the state senator who spearheaded the project. “These children need peer support, not peer pressure.” Lesniak said. Within six months, attendees of typical treatment such as 30-day rehabs and outpatient programs, have a relapse rate of 70 percent, while students who attend recovery schools have a relapse rate of 30 percent.

Pam continued to say, “We really believe that prevention and the arts go hand-in-hand so we thought it was a great, innovative way to bring a lot of attention to our cause and to hopefully raise money to support our school, as well as supporting the arts in general.“

Prevention Links is partnering with Jersey City-based media production company Capacity Images for the event. “It’s an honor to be a part of something so forward-thinking in the field of recovery. The addiction epidemic is completely out of hand and I think that providing, not only awareness, but also a platform for people who want to express themselves is extremely valuable,” says Chris Capaci, owner of Capacity Images. “As much as we want to think kids aren’t affected by addiction, they absolutely are. So it is important to include the widest range of ages possible.”

Prevention Links has also held an annual PSA contest, where area high school students make a 30-second commercial demonstrating the dangers of underage drinking (how many years). The 2017 PSA finalists as well as the 2016 winners will be screened at the film festival. Chris also added, “I feel it is important to give the younger generation a voice at our film festival.”

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, United States Surgeon General states “We have to stop treating addiction as a moral failing, and start seeing it for what it is: a chronic disease that must be treated with urgency and compassion.”

To submit a film or get involved with the film festival, please visit eshrecoveryschool.org/NJRFF.