BACKLOT PRODUCTIONS & NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATE DOCUMENTARY DEBUT OF "GATEWAY" AT THE BLUE ROOM AT THIRD MAN RECORDS
Photos available here
Photo credit: Gina Di Maio
Photo - Back Row L-R: Leslie Fram, FEMco; Chris Barkley, Nashville Film Festival; Joseph Habedank, artist; Front Row L-R: Mary-Linden Salter, TAADAS; Beth Barcus, Porter's Call; Dana Richie, Backlot Productions.
NASHVILLE, TN - (April 8, 2026) - Last night, the music industry and more gathered at The Blue Room at Third Man Records to celebrate the debut of Backlot Productions' award-winning documentary "Gateway," written, produced and directed by Backlot founder Dana Richie. Sponsored by the Nashville Film Festival, the film features three families impacted by opioid addiction and their journeys of heartbreak and hope.
Following the screening, FEMco's Leslie Fram moderated a panel discussion featuring Mary-Linden Salter, TN Association of Alcohol, Drug & other Addiction Services; Beth Barcus, Porter's Call; Richie; and GRAMMY-nominated Christian artist Joseph Habedank, who shared his personal struggle with opioid addiction.
Highlighting the film's relevance to the music community, Barcus noted that:
3 out of 4 musicians live with anxiety or depression - 51% of that group self-medicate (2019, Record Union Study)
1 in 3 touring music professionals report clinical levels of depression (2019, Amberhealth Survey)
Artists are among the highest-risk groups for suicide in the U.S., with male suicide rates nearly 10x the national average (Lamis Et Al, 2025)