A RAVAGED SOUL: ANATOMY OF AN ADDICT
The doors are closed. There are no more screenings of this film.
Synopsis: Radio Personality and College Director ‘Brad’ steps out on his lunches to hook up with his notorious Vancouver heroin dealer who plots to murder him. Brad’s dealer, former wife, his mother and other’s share their dynamic perspective on the severe impact Brad had on their own lives plus their concern for a traumatized man who may not live long enough to tell his own story.
Rated
Language
Run Time
Starring
Jennifer Cotton (Interviewee)
Alice MacDonald (Interviewee)
Stan Mingo (Interviewee)
Directed by
Prod. Company
Director's Statement
This piece of work (and I’m told I AM A PIECE OF WORK lol..) is my Life. I was seven years clean AND I WAS STILL hiding my past life of addiction. Through the prompts of many friends, family and EVEN former rehab counsellors of mine, I invited documentary commentary from my inner most circle. BUT with an interesting and ultra-honest twist: Mmmm, what would my former wife actually have to say about HER experience through my years in active addiction? Her play by play? My mother…same thing..plus three other surprise individuals. One that includes my former notorious Vancouver East Side heroin dealer. You have to watch the film to get the full impact of that shocking reaction. This project was liberating! Share hope and my recovery experience? Check that box here…
Director's Bio
I’m a Producer/Director with an experienced pulse on the human condition. Former ON-AIR day host for radio, long time Executive Director of a Media Communications College, Broadcast Properties broker, Voice-Over for Radio/TV, Writer for all domains. I love deep, intense, personal stories and extraordinary experiences even more. Stories about people who fell, then rebuild. Backward social issues. Taboo’s. Top of mind social issues that impact us all. Creating that explosively special flavour via the lens gets the blood pumping and the brain churning- that’s life.
Quotes
MacDonald puts it bluntly: “Trauma equals addiction. In my experience, it’s over 90 per cent of people that have sexual abuse in their stories, physical abuse, alcoholic families, so on.”
MacDonald recently revamped his award-winning documentary – A Ravaged Soul – that tells his story of addiction, and how it took him from being a successful media entrepreneur to trolling the Downtown Eastside looking for a fix.
- AARON HINKS, PEACE ARCH NEWS BLACK PRESS VANCOUVER
Langley resident Brian MacDonald recalled sneaking around between classes to score drugs throughout the 1990s.
He was an instructor at the time, owning and operating Vancouver’s Broadcast College in the midst of a career that had taken him on-air and into the management side of the industry. The filmmaker said he left no stone unturned, frankly discussing sexual and physical abuse that preceded his addiction.
Key members of his life speak in A Ravaged Soul, including MacDonald’s mother and his ex-wife, the mother of his child.
He credits their son as his major inspiration for turning his life around.
“It’s a really emotional 60-minute ride,” he assured.
- RYAN UYTDEWILLIGEN, LANGLEY TIMES BLACK PRESS VANCOUVER
