One of the first films
made in Vietnam
by a Western film crew
after the war

Screening 2008
Drugs & Harm Reduction
Film Festival - Barcelona

Shot by 3 Australian women in 1981, "Changing The Needle" was the first in-depth film to be made about Vietnam's unique approach to drug rehabilitation at a time when few foreign film crews had access to Vietnam at all. The Vietnamese methods shown in the film included acupuncture, natural medicines and exercises. The program also relied on attempts to inculcate changed attitudes and on compelling addicts into a complete change of environment.
“Changing the Needle” begins in a small, crowded rehabilitation centre in a suburb of Ho Chi Minh City and travels to a remote area in the Central Highlands as a group from the drug centre is being transferred to a rural commune.
Made in a country still ravaged by war and facing a large drug problem in its aftermath, this film documents a rehabilitation program run with very few resources. It is also a rare look at Vietnam in the immediate post-war period. In hindsight, there are lessons to be drawn from the film in considering the incidence of HIV in a drug-using population. Many drug rehabilitation centres in Vietnam now have extremely high rates of HIV amongst inmates and there is likewise a high rate of relapse. This film fills in the historical background for anyone interested in Vietnam or the history of treatments for drug addiction. For migrants from Vietnam or those contemplating a visit, "Changing The Needle" is likewise rewarding viewing.

53 mins 16mm/DVD •• Rated G • 1982
Produced by	Jequerity Pty Ltd	[Order]
Production	Martha Ansara, Mavis Robertson, Dasha Ross	Screened at the 2008 International Drug and Harm Reduction Film Festival, Barcelona