Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Holly Hardman of As Prescribed Film Is Helping To Change Our World
Don’t lose sight of the big picture. Have a sense of what you know you need for both the storyline and your theme or topic issue as you prepare for production and when you are filming. Keep this in mind during interviews. What can you ask in the moment to add to and enrich your project’s narrative, adhere to a structure, and advance your overall message?
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Holly Hardman.
Holly Hardman entered the field as a researcher, working for Rolling Stone, PBS, and Twentieth Century Fox. In the 1990s, Hardman began writing, directing, and producing short films. Her shorts were regulars on the decade’s underground film circuit and were distributed by New Day, insound, and M/W/F Video. Her first narrative feature, Besotted, was released theatrically by Artistic License Films. Hardman directed and produced her first documentary feature Good People Go to Hell, Saved People Go to Heaven (IDFA 2012) after the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005. In August 2014, Hardman began filming As Prescribed (Sheffield DocFest 2022) after her personal encounter with the perils of a prescribed benzodiazepine. For information on how to screen As Prescribed, visit: https://asprescribedfilm.com/watch-film/.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career? OK
Thank you for inviting me to discuss my film As Prescribed and my belief in its purpose for the greater good.
My entry into the film/media field began decades ago. In the late 1970s through 1980, I lived in Boston. I was into punk rock and loved going to see bands like Mission of Burma, Lou Miami & the Kozmetix, and The Dots. At the time, I was also working in front of the camera in Boston-shot commercials and in small film roles. I had always wanted to live in Southern California (childhood surfer dreams), so when an LA-based production company took an option out on me, I used the moment to move to the West Coast. Nothing really came of that option, but once in LA, a writer friend who knew I loved punk rock, recommended me for a research assistant position with journalist/screenwriter, Aaron Latham (Urban Cowboy). At the time, he was developing an article for Rolling Stone on the Hollywood punk rock scene. The job required me to write up my notes in story-form, a practice I’ve continued that has served me well working in film over the years. Quite-shy-me also developed a new kind of confidence and ease with people — like I thought nothing of interrupting punk goths on a club dance floor for an interview. Rude, I guess, but it worked. I developed the nerve to go into seedy strip clubs near LAX to talk (albeit with sensitivity) to a stream of sad dancers for a Latham screenplay on ballroom dancing. I convinced music execs, while facing hard deadlines, that I needed a certain Bauhaus or Duran Duran video to make points about doomsday culture and conspicuous consumption for a magazine-style PBS series. My world in media journalism was all about mingling and mixing and joining together. There were so many sensibilities and personalities and surprising encounters. It was a very 80s job and I feel extremely fortunate to have had it.
This background is integral to who I am as a documentary filmmaker, yet I never saw it
as a natural path into the documentary world. I would never have claimed, not even to myself, that documentary filmmaking was a goal of mine. But my life’s path, with all its health interruptions and chronic illness detours, was dramatically altered in the following years.
I often adjusted my life to accommodate my health issues. My interests and priorities changed too, though my liberal/progressive political leanings remained steadfast. How I wanted to express ideas did change — with social, health, environmental, and equity issues overriding a former proclivity toward creative, even fanciful, fiction. I have ended up embracing non-fiction as my preferred method for storytelling. For me, the documentary form has become a more effective means to interpret reality and make arguments for change.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Actually, I have learned the most from my mistakes, from many that were not funny in the least. I have an entire feature film that involved more mistakes and catastrophes than I’d care to count. I was too ill with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) at the time and should have stepped away from the project. It has always been difficult for women directors, and this project had the added element of a director dealing with a chronic illness.
But funniest mistake? After my first feature fiasco, I was sure I would never make another film. Yet, after attending a conference at the Clark Institute in Massachusetts in 2003 and learning about how the Patriot Act was affecting artists and their freedom of expression, I felt drawn to do whatever I could to open eyes to the country’s move toward fear-based conservatism. The Patriot Act had arrived in 2001 courtesy of George W. Bush and a post 9/11 daunted Congress. I was in relatively good health at the time and had an audacious idea. Make a documentary film! I dug into books on directing documentaries, organized a small crew, and went for it. I knew that I wanted to delve into the evangelical demographic that had put Bush over the top in his first election. How was Rapture-focused Christianity shaping current American politics and culture? And that was the genesis of my first documentary Good People Go to Hell, Saved People Go to Heaven. I had a healthy degree of blind faith, despite earlier mistakes. Even then I had to laugh at my temerity. In many ways, I was in over my head, but, with the support of a great crew, we completed the film. This outrageous mistake evolved into a feature documentary that I’m very proud of.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
Getting to know the main lived-experience participants of my new film, As Prescribed, has been extremely rewarding. Sam and his father Don, Amy and Scotty, Sonja Styblo — they are all wonderful people and I find their individual stories fascinating and so important as part of the full picture of benzo withdrawal complexity. I did try to choose people who would engage an audience’s interest and sustain it throughout the film. The film’s main protagonist, Geraldine Burns, has had an enormous impact on the world. Through her tireless work advocating on the benzodiazepine crisis, she inadvertently led Heather Ashton to create The Ashton Method, a well-known and respected approach to benzodiazepine discontinuation that focuses on gradual tapering to minimize discomfort and withdrawal effects. Plus, Geraldine organized the distribution network that allowed the manual to be shipped around the world and translated into at least a dozen languages leading to greater awareness and help for countless individuals.
I am in awe that Geraldine accomplished so much with no pay, and for many of the years she was disabled due to her own complications from benzodiazepine injury. Despite the internal horror she was experiencing, she kept her family life going. As she learned more about coping and healing, she made herself available to people who were calling her from around the world at any hour. And now we have benzodiazepine legislation addressing informed-consent and patient protections, and the bill has a good chance of passing in the Massachusetts Legislature.
One other participant I am in awe of is Matt Samet, a well-known rock climber and journalist whom I find endlessly interesting. His book “Death Grip: A Climber’s Escape from Benzo Madness” blew me away. In his writing, he continues to combine a merciless, jaundiced outlook with often breathtaking lyricism. You’ll find a lot of love in his writing too — love for his family and the climbing community. Matt inspires.
And I’d like to mention As Prescribed’s music score composer, Alison Plante. This was the first time I’ve had a chance to work with a music composer on a full and original music soundtrack. Alison, who is also a professor at the Berklee College of Music, is an incredibly inventive and versatile composer. She experimented with an array of styles and instruments. She was able to work off anything presented to her to create the score — experimental, classical, all moods, beats, structures, and styles. I found the whole process fascinating and loved working with her.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
I am drawn to leaders in history who prioritized peace and equity. Mahatma Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt come to mind immediately. They were in different worlds, yet they share significant philosophical similarities. Both felt compelled to respond to injustices in their worlds in nonviolent, courageous, and creative ways. Both had extraordinary, superhuman inner strength that they used in virtuous rebellion against societal injustices. And they both thought on a grand scale yet practiced personal humility. Of course, they were both imperfect. They were human. I only wish that there had been more like them and that their victories were longer-lasting and had spread more widely. The world would have become a better place. I also want to include American marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson. Her book “Silent Spring” enlightened so many of us to the toxification of the planet and the growing climate crisis. I wish more of the powers in control were effectively acting on Carson’s message. We have to keep fighting for the planet, and for our children’s future. We owe them that.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
My film “As Prescribed” is at the heart of our current impact campaign. The film is dedicated to telling the real stories of those affected by Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND). By partnering with Kathleen Rodgers and Bonnie Abaunza of GSD Group on a multi-dimensional impact campaign, we are creating real impact with initiatives including:
We shared As Prescribed with Massachusetts legislators in hopes of swaying their support in favor of the reintroduced benzo legislation that is covered in the film. I am happy to report that the bill has advanced out of its initial committees with a recommendation to pass and is now under consideration in the Ways and Means Committee. Similarly, we also have ongoing conversations with stakeholders in other locales who want to see similar legislation passed in their states.
We have also been invited to present and screen the film at the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry Symposium in November 2024 to continue the important conversation and raise awareness of the Benzodiazepine crisis.
We are trying to help fund new research on protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal with Dr. Olivera Bogunovic of Harvard University acting as the lead clinician.
We are working with influential health industry contacts for BIND recognition in major healthcare organizations and large insurance companies.
We plan to expand conversations about disability rights and benefits. We will build on outreach to attorneys and agencies that can help make rights and benefits the norm for people suffering with BIND.
Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND) and the benzodiazepine crisis as we cover it in the film are finally growing areas of awareness. We are trying to place “As Prescribed” where it can do the most good and reach the most people with its messaging. We are always interested in hearing from people and organizations with a shared mission to discuss how we might work together on outreach and advocacy.
We will continue to look for opportunities to share the film with groups in community screenings, both in-person and virtually.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
In my case, producing a film and raising awareness about the benzodiazepine crisis was an unfortunate no-brainer. When I first learned that the benzodiazepine I had been taking on and off for over fifteen years, was causing numerous health issues, I foolishly thought that I could stop taking it with relative ease. So did my doctor. She had the best intentions in helping but knew very little about tapering her patients off the medication. She had me tapering way too fast and I was in agony. I could not sleep and had a non-stop crushing headache. I had an array of bizarre, frightening symptoms. I was experiencing a physiological horror show. I was terrified.
After some straightforward googling I found an online support platform called BenzoBuddies. I learned that I should slow down my taper, and that it could take a year or longer to complete. I convinced my doctor to continue supporting me through the process, She modified her instructions and allowed me to control the timing of the taper. Once the taper was slowed down, I stabilized somewhat — to a less harrowing degree. Still harrowing, just less so.
I started visiting BenzoBuddies regularly. I realized that benzodiazepine withdrawal was a problem everywhere, and it was not being sufficiently or accurately covered in the media. I could see that people in the benzodiazepine community had powerful stories to tell. I promised myself that if I made it through, I would step away from other film projects and would devote my time to a documentary about the under-the-radar benzodiazepine epidemic. I felt obligated to make the film. And I felt pretty confident that something good could come from a documentary made by a survivor.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I know that As Prescribed, as a film and an entity, has been helping people. People started reaching out early on, once we posted our first work-in-progress trailer.
I have seen healing happen through awareness and support, even in what appear to be impossible cases. I recall connecting with a man from Massachusetts I will call Craig. He was extremely debilitated from benzodiazepine overprescribing. He had gone from being a stable father and family provider to a man with extreme benzo injury who was locked in a terrible state of protracted withdrawal. He felt hopeless and his family had abandoned him. We were able to provide him with the resources he needed to start recovering. It was heartening to see that once he had healed significantly, he began helping others based on his lived experience.
Craig is just one of many who have contacted us looking for answers, support, and community.
We are continuing Geraldine Burns’ work and building further on her original goals. Geraldine and I still share a mission to use “As Prescribed” to better inform all who are willing or need to hear the film’s message.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
First, I am asking that anybody who lives, has relatives, or does business in Massachusetts join our effort to work with lawmakers to pass benzodiazepine legislation. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/S1236
We send out prompts with updated information and
instructions from our related nonprofit, Invisible Together. Please email invisibletogethermail@gmail.com to receive helpful information and join our effort. We can provide people with contact information for their legislators as well as updates and timely guidance for outreach to legislators and stakeholders.
We need support with our efforts to bring policy change regarding benzodiazepine prescribing in the healthcare system generally. It would be great if part of that effort included the creation of safe spaces where people can feel supported while they are tapering or trying to heal from BIND. This would involve benzo-wise doctors and healthcare professionals, as well as the support of lived-experience peers. Massachusetts has another bill in the pipeline that responds to this need and would allow peer support centers statewide. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H3602 We need this in my home state and beyond. This is another legislative effort that we are supporting through the As Prescribed/Indivisible Together cooperative outreach.
Very important — we need to raise funds to keep the As Prescribed Impact Campaign going. In addition to the impact efforts mentioned above, an important part of our current campaign is raising funds for research. It is essential that we receive continued support. All who care about the cause and can help, are asked to visit our donation platform: https://asprescribedfilm.com/donate/
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
Be patient. What I thought would take a year or two to film ended up taking seven years. Be ready for change. Situations may happen where you need to restructure your film and find another ending. Those changes could mean many more months of editing and additional shoots. In all, it has taken us a full twelve years to research, film, edit, and deliver the film to a distributor and streaming platforms so that audiences can view it.
Know that you don’t know enough. The more I researched, the less I knew. I still have so much to learn about the benzodiazepine story. And that seems to be the case with anything that is worthy of our dedicated attention. Keep learning, keep researching, keep exploring.
Listen. Listen to what people have to say. Hear what they want to tell you. Pay attention to nuance. Watch out for your own pre-conceived notions. Know that people’s unpredictability can provide huge payoffs.
Don’t lose sight of the big picture. Have a sense of what you know you need for both the storyline and your theme or topic issue as you prepare for production and when you are filming. Keep this in mind during interviews. What can you ask in the moment to add to and enrich your project’s narrative, adhere to a structure, and advance your overall message?
Take care of yourself. Documentary filmmakers tend to surround themselves with other people’s trauma during the filmmaking process. It takes a toll. And we still have our own personal troubles to deal with. Practice healthy and safe self-care like yoga, exercise, meditation, healing supplements and herbs, a good diet of fresh, organic foods, and make spending time in nature a priority. Become familiar with the Film in Mind filmmaker’s toolkit. Also, in my opinion, try not to give into the temptation to take a psychotropic medication over a length of time to handle stress, situational depression, or insomnia. These are issues that can most often be better managed in healthier, more sustainable ways.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
As long as they feel strong enough to handle what they want to take on, they must try. For those who are able, working for a better world and focusing on a specific goal or mission is a rewarding path to travel. I believe it is what we owe to God or the universe or whatever you do or do not believe in to honor the gift of life on this beautiful planet. It is the greatest privilege to have the means and the inclination to make change.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
Though I previously met Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation via the Independent Feature Project (now The Gotham), I would love to pursue a lengthier conversation with him and the Ford Foundation to discuss creative and effective ways to stem the benzodiazepine and pharmaceutical drug misprescribing crisis. In our brief conversation, he expressed interest in the topic of iatrogenic benzodiazepine illness and injury. It is well-known he is a remarkable force for good. He is someone I would love to see recognizing the benzodiazepine harm issue and joining forces with us in some type of collaboration that increases our overall impact.
I would also like to mention my hope to connect with the World Health Organization. The WHO has broadened their policy statements on benzodiazepines to include the widespread and serious nature of benzodiazepine withdrawal issues. In all medicine, the WHO calls for proper informed consent and patient agency. I maintain hope that we can somehow connect with the organization. Is it unreasonable to think that a form of Piketty’s compassionate capitalism could be put into practice, one that puts the rights of world citizens over financial profit and expediency benefiting only those in the economic stratosphere? Is it possible that programs to treat the pharmaceutically injured and prevent further harm to the masses can be prioritized and supplied with sufficient capital? It must be possible. Can this be tied into the work of the WHO and would they consider involving us?
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“We only become what we are by the radical and deep-seated refusal of that which others have made of us.” — Jean-Paul Sartre
It is so easy for people to think negatively about others. I’ve often felt I am easy to dismiss because of this tendency. When I started hitting a certain stride in my 50s, I realized how much others’ negative views of me had been holding me back. I’d allowed it. I now work to resist those inaccurate notions. I know that others relate to this too. Let’s keep refusing!
How can our readers follow you online?
I hope you will follow my work by visiting https://asprescribedfilm.com and get current news from the blog at https://asprescribedfilm.com/news/. I would also love to connect via social media at:
Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/asprescribedfilm
Instagram @asprescribedfilm
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyhardman/
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Holly Hardman of As Prescribed Film Is… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.