On Demand

East Hastings Pharmacy

by Antoine Bourges

A quiet portrait of the rituals around receiving methadone for opioid dependence in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

2012 · 43m · Canada

English

About the Film

EAST HASTINGS PHARMACY is a chronicle of a typical pharmacy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where most clients are on a treatment for opioid dependence that requires taking daily doses of methadone witnessed by the pharmacist. The pharmacy is a site of rituals and repeated interactions, where quiet routine and confrontation follow each other in continuous movement. Antoine Bourges’ film was made in collaboration with residents of the Vancouver Downtown Eastside through improvisations and re-enactments.

Upcoming Screenings

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Festivals and Awards

2013

Winner, The Colin Low Award for Canadian Documentary, Doxa Documentary Festival

2012

Cinéma du Reel, Paris

In the Press

Review

Toronto Film Review

Review

Straight

Editor

Antoine Bourges

Producer

Antoine Bourges, Dan Montgomery and Kazik Radwanski

Sound Editor

Matt Chan, Devon Cook and Stirling Bancroft

Cinematographer

Lindsay George

About the Director

Antoine Bourges

Antoine Bourges is a filmmaker originating from Paris, currently based between Toronto and Vancouver. His shorts Woman Waiting (2010) and William in White Shirt (2015), along with his mid-length film East Hastings Pharmacy (2012), have screened in festivals across North America and Europe, including the Berlinale, TIFF, Viennale, and Centre Pompidou’s Cinéma du Réel. His first feature Fail to Appear (2017) was released theatrically at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in 2018. He is currently working on his second feature with Telefilm Canada.

Other films by Antoine Bourges

East Hastings Pharmacy

Antoine Bourges

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