CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1
HBO, 2015
87TH ACADEMY AWARD® FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY, SHORT SUBJECT - WINNER
SYNOPSIS
Since 2001, more veterans have died by their own hand than in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one veteran dies by suicide in America every 80 minutes. While only 1% of Americans has served in the military, former service members account for 20% of all suicides in the U.S.
Based in Canandaigua, NY and open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the Veterans Crisis Line receives more than 22,000 calls each month from veterans of all conflicts who are struggling or contemplating suicide due to the psychological wounds of war and the challenges of returning to civilian life.
This 40-minute film is a gripping, verite look at how the dedicated responders at the Veterans Crisis Line handle these life-and-death conversations and deal with the emotional aftermath. The film captures these extremely private moments, where the professionals, many of whom are veterans themselves, try to interrupt the thoughts and plans of suicidal callers to steer them out of harm’s way.
TRAILER & SELECTED CLIPS
REVIEWS
The New York Times
“It’s polished, tough-minded and topical, delivering a strong, clean emotional punch without feeling manipulative. Filmed in a crisis center in upstate New York that handles calls from military veterans — many of them threatening suicide or violence, Crisis Hotline, directed by Ellen Goosenberg Kent, provides a haunting reminder of the toll war exacts from those who fight as well as the assurance that at least some help is available.”
Variety
“It’s simple and spare, the cameras serving as silent witness as counselors try to talk down suicidal veterans, quietly agonizing as they wait for police and emergency workers to arrive, or to hear if a young man who scrawled a farewell note shows up at his mother’s house.”
Interviews with Ellen Goosenberg Kent by Indiewire, The Huffington Post, HBO.com