“Fentanyl High”
“Fentanyl High has created momentum in our school community to have the hard conversations about this horrific epidemic. Kyle has a unique way of reaching his peers, our students, in ways that no brochure, news story, or adult can do. This is an important documentary that should be required viewing among high schools and any organization that touches our precious youth.” - Superintendent Bill W Sanderson, Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District
Fentanyl High documentary was shot and edited over 14 months. It digs behind the social media facades to reveal what high school teens honestly think deep down about the fentanyl epidemic, how teens today are dealing with their emotional pain in school and at home, why they are self-medicating and what can be done to prevent these tragedies, as well the first-hand experiences of paramedics, government officials, doctors, and parents whose teens have died from fentanyl poisoning.
The first screening of Fentanyl High was on May 16, 2023 at the Los Gatos High School Theater to a sold-out audience of more than 400 people. Following the screening of the film, there was a Panel Discussion, with members of the cast, experts on fentanyl poisoning, parents of teens who have died from fentanyl poisoning, school administrators and members of the community.
Film Access: Available August 21, 2024 - 2025
Password if needed: fentanylhigh!
About the Director
Kyle Santoro is the Director of Fentanyl High, a documentary film about the fentanyl poisoning of teens. A senior at Los Gatos High School, he is a creative imagemaker from the Bay Area. Having grown up in Taiwan as a biracial teen, Kyle already sees and embodies two completely different worlds - one in English, the other in Chinese. Kyle uses filmmaking to tie together worlds that often do not cross.
His passion for filmmaking ignited in July 2021 when he filmed a 2-minute short about the homeless on the back streets and hidden alleys of San Francisco. Then, he started filming varsity football games at his high school that went viral on social media. Within a few months, he was getting calls to shoot and edit sports reels for high school and collegiate athletes, as well as sports tournaments all over the Bay Area.
By mid-sophomore year, Kyle started his own film production company, LC2 Productions, through which he has been commissioned to shoot the “MOSAIC DEI Curriculum Series” for the entire student body for his high school; the annual LGHS Lip Dub music video; as well as PSAs for local nonprofits, Santa Clara County Fire Department, Los Gatos Police Department, and the Town of Los Gatos.
Interacting with so many different kinds of people within the diverse communities of the Bay Area makes Kyle fascinated by the nuances of cultural anthropology, a field he will be studying with Film Studies and English Literature at The Ohio State University.
