Nearly two decades after its release, director Nettie Wild’s account of the fight to establish North America’s first safe injection site remains just as vital as when it was first released. The film focuses on the unlikely partnership between Dean Wilson, a drug user and safety advocate, and Ann Livingston, a community organizer driven by her religious convictions. Together the pair rally drug users and other community members to advocate for reforms that will save lives.

It’s impossible to watch Wild’s film today without reflecting on how little has changed in the last 20 years. We see police using heavy-handed tactics to clear streets, critics employing negative stereotypes to denigrate drug users, and community activists struggling to do their best with limited resources. Many of these sequences feel like they could have been shot in 2021. While the activists in FIX were able to win the day, their fight to ensure the safety of Vancouver’s drug users goes on. -JM