MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A short film titled “Ocean Boulevard” has been playing in certain theaters across the Palmetto State.
The main character in the film is based on the experiences that happened to three men who struggled with a heroin addiction in Horry County.
The young filmmaker and Columbia native, Zoe Miller, hopes the film will help open the eyes of South Carolinians to the crisis impacting people across the state.
“In Myrtle Beach, tourism often times overshadows drug addiction and we really just wanted to shed light on that,” said Miller.
One of the former addicts featured in the film, William Howsare, was born and raised in North Myrtle Beach. He says at one point in time he was sleeping in his car, parked behind dumpsters, constantly looking for the next fix.
“Part of it’s my story, and the other parts are the other two men, and we pretty much gave them a long list of the gory details of our lives, for each of us and they decided what parts to take,” said Howsare.
Now, Howsare works for the City of Myrtle Beach as a peer counselor through New Directions, visiting local jails, hospitals, and people on the street.
“Since October of 2017, I have seen 347 people and been able to get 248 into longtime treatment,” said Howsare.
Kathy Jenkins, Director of New Directions, wants to get the message out that not all drug addicts are homeless and they’re not all on Ocean Boulevard.
“The issues of drug addiction, it’s no specter of person of socioeconomic group, anyone can become addicted,” said Jenkins.
The City of Myrtle Beach says fighting addiction will always be a top priority.
“The opioid issue is a national problem, it’s not just localized here, we certainly have our share of it, the city is brainstorming ways we can solve that problem here and perhaps some of those solutions will trickle to the rest of the country,” said city spokesperson, Mark Kruea.
The film is having a screening at the Marina Inn in Grand Dunes at 8 p.m. on Monday, December 9 and it’s open to the public. Visit the film’s website here for more.