For Damariscotta artist Peter Bruun, surviving the pain of losing his 24-year-old daughter to a heroin overdose started with breaking taboos. 

“When Elisif was struggling it was hard to talk about,” he says. “And when she died, I couldn’t live with the silence anymore.” 

Her 2014 death drove him to learn all he could about the parts of her life she’d kept hidden. He interviewed everyone who knew her, and the result is "Elisif’s Story," a powerful 36-minute audio-visual work in which Bruun captures his daughter’s life, death, and the profound ripple effects of addiction on families and friends. 

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., Bruun and his nonprofit, Studio B, will present a free public screening and discussion of "Elisif’s Story" at the Waldo Theater in Waldoboro. This special event invites all members of the community to come together around this topic that affects many but is rarely publicly discussed. 

"Elisif’s Story" is an intimate and unflinching look at addiction’s toll through the voices of those who knew Elisif best. The video reveals her vibrant creativity and potential, her struggles from a young age, and the enduring impact of her life and loss. 

“It’s rare that people feel safe sharing their own struggles around addiction and loss,” says Bruun, “but I know from personal experience it’s vital for healing. This is about creating a space where we can have honest, empathetic conversations about addiction, recovery, and grief.” 

Following the screening, Bruun will lead a discussion with a panel of local recovery advocates on the topic of harm reduction and recovery. Guest experts include Nick Loscocco (OPTIONS liaison for Lincoln County), Lauren Hunt (harm reduction specialist for Maine General), and representatives of Newcastle’s Lincoln County Recovery Community Center and Whitefield’s Holistic Sober Center (the only in-patient sober center in the county), who will share their own stories. 

Resource tables offering harm reduction tools, treatment options, recovery programs, and grief support will be available at the event. For more information, contact Bruun at peter@bruunstudios.com. 

Studio B is a Lincoln County-based nonprofit that uses art and story to bring people together around issues they care about, cultivating individual self-esteem and building stronger communities.