The film takes viewers inside dosing rooms for extremely rare looks at the remarkable power, emotion, and speed of psychedelic healing in action: from pro athletes repairing brain damage from concussions, to combat veterans finding relief from suicidal despair, to a woman breaking free from opioid addiction, to survivors of the Nova Music Festival massacre who say being on psychedelics during the attack shielded them from developing lasting trauma.
PEAKING also traces the turbulent history of how psychedelics were criminalized in the 1960s, and how they've since climbed from the underground to the mainstream in a rise that might soon lead to their legalization in the United States and beyond.
"Much has been written about psychedelic experiences, but they've rarely been captured on camera," said Jordan Kronick, the film's 10-time Emmy Award-winning director and producer. "We want viewers to see for themselves what psychedelic healing actually looks like — especially now, at this zeitgeist moment, when the cultural interest in psychedelics is at an all-time high."
PEAKING explores all the major psychedelics: psilocybin (magic mushrooms) in Oregon with two-time Stanley Cup champion Daniel Carcillo and former NHL player Stephen Johns; ayahuasca in the Amazon jungle with U.S. combat veterans; LSD and MDMA in Israel with Nova Music Festival survivors; ibogaine in Mexico with Amber Hedrick, a longtime opioid user; and toad (Bufo) in the California desert with a group of psychedelic explorers.
For history, policy and scientific context, PEAKING features many of the leading voices in the world of psychedelics, including Rick Doblin, the godfather of the movement to legalize psychedelics; Robin Carhart-Harris, the world's foremost psychedelic scientist; and Jesse Gould, a former Army Ranger and founder of Heroic Hearts Projects, a nonprofit that has funded psychedelic treatments abroad for more than 1,500 veterans.
Following its world premiere in Los Angeles at the historic Chinese Theatres, as part of the film festival Dances With Films, PEAKING begins its theatrical release on September 25, 2026 at Cinema 21 in Portland, Oregon with a special advance screening on September 24, 2026 which will be followed by a live Q&A with a cast member, the Executive Producers, and the Producer/Director. Tickets are available now at Cinema 21's website. Click here
PORTLAND — TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! Click here
PEAKING: Psychedelics and the Pursuit of Happiness premieres September 25 at Cinema 21, with a special advance screening September 24, followed by a live Q&A with:
Daniel Carcillo — Two-time Stanley Cup champion and PEAKING cast member
Jordan Kronick — Award winning Director and Producer
Tracy Miedema Tengelsen — Executive Producer and Portland native
Erich Tengelsen — Executive Producer
See the film. Meet the people behind it. Join the conversation.
📍 Cinema 21 | Portland
📅 Special Screening + Q&A: September 24
🎬 Premiere: September 25
Tickets are on sale now. Click here
ABOUT PEAKING
PEAKING: PSYCHEDELICS AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS is a feature documentary from 10-time Emmy Award-winning director and producer Jordan Kronick. The film takes viewers inside dosing room for extremely rare looks at psychedelic healing in action, while charting the rise of the movement to legalize psychedelics as medicine.
Trailer available here
SOURCE High Point Mountain Productions
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