On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the list of movies that are up for the movie industry’s prestigious Oscar statue.

Normally, this doesn’t mean much to the Tri-State beyond the entertainment value of seeing celebrities dressed in designer outfits during their red carpet walk.

But among the five  nominations in the Best Documentary Short category was Heroin(e), a documentary about the opioid crisis in Huntington, West Virginia and how three women on the front lines are working to combat the drug epidemic in the city.

The focus of Heroin(e) is Jan Rader, Huntington Fire Department chief and an Ohio University Southern alumni, Cabell Huntington drug court Judge Patricia Keller and Necia Freeman, founder of Brown Bag Ministries.

The documentary was done by West Virginian film makers Elaine McMillion Sheldon and her husband, Kerrin.

Far too often when national news crews are in this area, they parachute in to cover the drug problem, poverty or a sensational murder. They come and they go, the report hits the television and then nothing much happens.

With Heroin(e), it is different because the women involved have been using the film as an educational tool, whether they are appearing on a Sunday morning political show or using it as a tool to educate children of the dangers of drugs or talking to people around the world.

We are proud that all involved are using this as a platform and that real change comes from this film.