Dopey Recovery Short Film Festival

Presented by Mountainside Treatment CenterBig thanks to Mountainside Treatment Center for helping make the first-ever Dopey Recovery Short Film Festival possible. Mountainside has been a longtime supporter of recovery, community, and honest conversations about addiction. Their support allows us to bring filmmakers, artists, people in recovery, and the Dopey Nation together for a night of stories, connection, pastrami, and hopefully a little inspiration.

General Admission: $25

https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation

The Dopey Recovery Short Film Festival is the first of its kind — a night of short films about drugs, addiction, dumb shit, and recovery.

Our vision is to give filmmakers a platform to share original work about addiction, recovery, and everything in between.

We’ll be screening 5 original short films, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

The night kicks off with a 7 PM reception featuring ½ pastrami sandwiches from Katz's Delicatessen, Non-alcoholic beverages by Rachel Hechtman of Sober in Central Park, plus delicious vegan and vegetarian options.

There will also be sober celebrities, and local artists hanging out and shmoozing with the crowd.

Come hang. Watch some films. Meet some people. Eat some pastrami. Join the Dopey Nation. It’ll be fun.

Featured Films

A Life After

A documentary series by Jason Cabello

In Episode 1, professional skateboarder Reese Barton, along with his family and friends, reflects on how addiction took hold after a string of injuries left him sidelined from the thing he loved most. What followed led Reese into some dark places, straining both his career and personal life. Through the support of his family, his skate crew, and Austin’s No Comply Skate Shop, Reese was able to find his way back — rediscovering purpose, recovery, and his passion for skateboarding.

This or Life

A short film starring Andy Dick and Jaden Whitaker, written and directed by 17-year-old filmmaker Winslow Burnett.

“This or Life” follows three teenagers who recruit a homeless man to assist in a house robbery. Shot during a chaotic rainy-day production earlier this year, the film is a passion project exploring youth culture, redemption, bad decisions, and degeneracy.

The short stars Andy Dick alongside Jordan Whitaker (“Jwhit”), a social media creator with a combined 2.8 million followers. The film was scored by indie rock musician Mathew Lee Cothran, also known as Coma Cinema.

Sometimes I Imagine Your Funeral

Directed by Vince Dixon, this powerful short drama explores addiction, overdose, and sibling grief. As Max prepares to eulogize his sister Chloe after her fatal overdose, he confronts anger, guilt, love, and the complicated emotions that come with losing someone to substance abuse.

Reclaim and Reframe Season 2: Baltimore

A documentary exploration of recovery, resilience, and the realities of addiction in Baltimore through deeply personal storytelling and lived experience.

The second season of Reframe & Reclaim: Shaping the Future of Recovery Stories takes viewers inside the prison system and the reentry process through the perspectives of recovery advocates in Baltimore, Maryland.

No More Secrets

Directed by Chris Temple and produced by Pete Callahan, this 10-minute documentary offers a deeply personal look at addiction and the transformative power of recovery. Through the stories of two individuals and their families, the film breaks the silence surrounding substance use, stigma, and shame while showing that recovery is possible.

Dopey Recovery Short Film Festival

General Admission: $25

https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation

The Dopey Recovery Short Film Festival is the first of its kind — a night of short films about drugs, addiction, dumb shit, and recovery.

Our vision is to give filmmakers a platform to share original work about addiction, recovery, and everything in between.

We’ll be screening 5 original short films, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

The night kicks off with a 7 PM reception featuring ½ pastrami sandwiches from Katz's Delicatessen, Non-alcoholic beverages by Rachel Hechtman of Sober in Central Park, plus delicious vegan and vegetarian options.

There will also be free tattoos, sober celebrities, and local artists hanging out and shmoozing with the crowd.

Come hang. Watch some films. Meet some people. Eat some pastrami. Join the Dopey Nation. It’ll be fun.

Featured Films

A Life After

A documentary series by Jason Cabello

In Episode 1, professional skateboarder Reese Barton, along with his family and friends, reflects on how addiction took hold after a string of injuries left him sidelined from the thing he loved most. What followed led Reese into some dark places, straining both his career and personal life. Through the support of his family, his skate crew, and Austin’s No Comply Skate Shop, Reese was able to find his way back — rediscovering purpose, recovery, and his passion for skateboarding.

This or Life

A short film starring Andy Dick and Jaden Whitaker, written and directed by 17-year-old filmmaker Winslow Burnett.

“This or Life” follows three teenagers who recruit a homeless man to assist in a house robbery. Shot during a chaotic rainy-day production earlier this year, the film is a passion project exploring youth culture, redemption, bad decisions, and degeneracy.

The short stars Andy Dick alongside Jordan Whitaker (“Jwhit”), a social media creator with a combined 2.8 million followers. The film was scored by indie rock musician Mathew Lee Cothran, also known as Coma Cinema.

Sometimes I Imagine Your Funeral

Directed by Vince Dixon, this powerful short drama explores addiction, overdose, and sibling grief. As Max prepares to eulogize his sister Chloe after her fatal overdose, he confronts anger, guilt, love, and the complicated emotions that come with losing someone to substance abuse.

Reclaim and Reframe Season 2: Baltimore

A documentary exploration of recovery, resilience, and the realities of addiction in Baltimore through deeply personal storytelling and lived experience.

The second season of Reframe & Reclaim: Shaping the Future of Recovery Stories takes viewers inside the prison system and the reentry process through the perspectives of recovery advocates in Baltimore, Maryland.

No More Secrets

Directed by Chris Temple and produced by Pete Callahan, this 10-minute documentary offers a deeply personal look at addiction and the transformative power of recovery. Through the stories of two individuals and their families, the film breaks the silence surrounding substance use, stigma, and shame while showing that recovery is possible.