The Creative High

Documentary film about recovery from addiction

The Creative High is a documentary film featuring nine artists in recovery from addiction who are transformed by creativity in their turbulent search for identity and freedom. It follows nine artists in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, revealing the transformative quality of the creative process and empowering us to wake up to our true selves. Bringing the viewers into the worlds of hip-hop, drag performance, punk music, and featuring artists who create dance, theatre, and visual art, The Creative High conveys a message of hope in an ailing world.

The film’s concept was inspired by director Adriana Marchione (www.adrianamarchione.com), who has been active in her own recovery from alcoholism since 1993. Since then, Marchione has dedicated much of her life’s work to understanding the role of creativity in supporting people with substance use disorders. Marchione brought on as producer veteran San Francisco filmmaker Dianne Griffin (www.diannegriffin.com), who has been making films for over thirty years. Her creative work as a documentary filmmaker is a doorway into her outlook on the world, which has been transformed by Zen Buddhism and recovery practice.

People with substance use disorders, many of whom have a history of trauma, speak openly on camera. Without their active commitment, this dynamic and honest film could not have been made.

Adriana Marchione, Director, has been involved in the arts for over thirty years as a filmmaker, dancer, and photographer and is internationally recognized for her work as a movement-based expressive arts therapist and educator. Find more about Adriana’s work, www.adrianamarchione.com

Dianne Griffin makes documentaries that explore the uniqueness of the ordinary, bringing to light valuable stories and their relation to social change, and her belief that the personal is political. Find out more about Dianne’s work by visiting www.diannegriffin.com

To see a trailer, go to https://youtu.be/ksosVQ2piDo