The Hotline
INFO
With intimate access to people fighting addiction, THE HOTLINE creates a haunting yet deeply human portrait of the opioid crisis in America. Callers—each voice raw, and unfiltered—share moments of despair, loss, recovery, and resilience. Filmed across the US, the film drops into the lives of the opioid users and hotline operators—people in recovery, people who have suffered terrible losses from addiction and people struggling with addiction.
Fragments of peoples’ very private lives are revealed coming together to form a powerful portrait of opioid addiction, one that doesn’t discriminate by profession, location or wealth. The collection of stories are snapshots captured of peoples’ most vulnerable moments as they put their lives in the hands of strangers. These voices, though disconnected, begin to form a collective narrative that transcends individual experience. What emerges is not just a portrait of a crisis, but also of quiet hope—found in connection, in honesty, and in the courage to keep calling. As the hotline operators track callers in real time, they must stay on the line, offering calm, compassion, and a lifeline—ready to send EMS the moment silence falls. The operators often race against time as overdoses unfold mid-call.
Fentanyl overdose is the number one cause of death for 18–44-year-olds. Fentanyl can be as inexpensive as a cigarette and more than 100 times more powerful than morphine. As overdose rates rise and stigma persists, THE HOTLINE is not just a story about crisis—it's a story about listening. Grounded in real-world harm reduction efforts, THE HOTLINE is a film about connection in the darkest moments, the power of empathy, and the quiet heroes working in the shadows to keep people breathing, one call at a time.
