Home Heroin documentary honored by Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts
News

Heroin documentary honored by Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts

Contributors

mark herringHeroin: The Hardest Hit,” Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s powerful documentary on the Commonwealth’s heroin and prescription opioid overdose epidemic, has been honored with two Communicator Awards of Excellence by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts. The film was a winner in the categories “Online Video – Documentary” and “Online Video – Education.”

“This award belongs to all the Virginians who were brave enough to share their stories so that another family might not have to endure the same pain and loss caused by addiction,” said Attorney General Herring. “These incredible men and women have turned pain and struggle into resolve and commitment, and I will continue to stand by them as we work to address addiction in the Commonwealth.”

“Heroin: The Hardest Hit” premiered in December 2015 at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. It features Virginians sharing their own stories of substance abuse disorder, overdose, and recovery, as well as powerful testimony from the families and friends of young people who lost their lives to a fatal heroin overdose. In the six months since it premiered, the film has been viewed more than 55,000 times online, and more than a dozen screening events have been held around the Commonwealth.

The film and trailer are available to view online at www.hardesthitva.com. Schools, youth and community groups, faith-based groups, parents, recovery advocates, and others can request a DVD of the film through www.hardesthitva.com.

The film was produced by Director of Legislative and Constituent Affairs Brittany Anderson and directed by Emmy Award-winning director Jesse Vaughan of Virginia State University’s Advance Creative Services Group.

Attorney General Herring has made combating the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic a top priority, attacking the problem with a multifaceted approach that includes enforcementeducation, prevention, and legislation to encourage reporting of overdoses in progress, expand the availability of naloxone, and expand access to the Prescription Monitoring Program.

Support AFP

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.

Latest News

donald trump
Politics

Easier to die, harder to vote: The rigged architecture of the Warfare State

virginia tax
Virginia

State income tax filing deadline is Friday: Officials pushing you to file electronically

The filing and payment deadline for Virginia state income taxes is Friday, and Tax Commissioner Kristin Collins is saying it’s best at this stage to file electronically, if you can.

tony elliott gator bowl
Football

UVA Football: Finally, we have the details on Tony Elliott’s extension

UVA Football coach Tony Elliott got himself a million-dollar-a-year raise after his team’s 11-win season in 2025, with a total compensation package at $5.4 million a year, with $100,000 raises over each of the next five years of the deal.

uva football chandler morris
Football

UVA Football: Morris, Taylor among 10 ‘Hoos signing NFL rookie deals

football money
Football

UVA Football: Details on fresh extensions for Kitchings, Rudzinski, Gaither

rob tracinski podcast
Politics, Virginia

Podcast: Rob Tracinski discusses his Sixth District congressional campaign

ryan odom uva basketball
Basketball

UVA Basketball: Odom lands first transfer commitment for 2026 class