Columbia, SC — As part of the Nickelodeon’s latest ReelTalk: Community Impact Series, LRADAC will sponsor a free public screening of Stay Awake, a new film about substance misuse and the enormous impact it can have on family members. Immediately following the film, a special panel of recovery experts—along with the film’s writer/director—will discuss recovery issues and caretaker roles portrayed in the movie.
Stay Awake is an award-winning indie drama from writer/director Jamie Sisley that features a fictionalized account of the filmmaker’s own story of caring for his prescription-drug-addicted mother in small-town Virginia. In the film, brothers Ethan (Wyatt Oleff, City on Fire) and Derek (Fin Argus, Queer as Folk) try their best to navigate the pressures of teenage life while tending to their mother (Chrissy Metz, NBC’s This Is Us) and her debilitating prescription drug addiction.
“When I first started watching films about addiction, I realized they were from the point of view of the addict,” said Sisley. “I wanted to make Stay Awake to offer an alternative POV to addiction—the roller coaster ride that caretakers go on while helping someone they love through their disease. This film is a love letter to the caretaker.”
The free screening of Stay Awake will take place Monday, August 28, at the Nickelodeon Theatre, 1607 Main Street, with doors opening at 6 pm and the film starting at 6:30 pm. Immediately following the film, there will be a community talkback featuring writer/director Sisley along with Nicole Deems, LRADAC, Director of Clinical Advancement, Adult Services; Julie Cole, Julie Cole Counseling, Coaching & Consulting, LLC; and John Brunty, Recovery Coach and LRADAC Foundation Board Member.
Admission to the Stay Awake screening is free, but ticket registration is required at https://9mqx.short.gy/7wlY6B.
