‘The Big Picture’: Developing community-led approaches to substance use disorder through participatory video

Abstract

‘The Big Picture’ was a participatory video (PV) project. The aim was to increase the involvement of young people in India in the active development of practice and policy regarding substance use disorder (SUD). Working with drug rehabilitation centres to innovate their programmes, the team used video production as a tool to help young people advocate for policy change by promoting public awareness of how they see this issue. Unlike many accounts of PV, which tend to focus solely on the processes of community engagement, this article also takes account of the art of the films produced. Drawing on theoretical approaches to subjectivity in autobiographical filmmaking that highlight the complex interactions between the individual and the collective in such work, the article examines, in particular, how the films created emphasize the importance of adopting a relational, community-led, approach to SUD if rehabilitation programmes are to be effective.