The husband can barely
look his wife in the eye when she accuses him of having unprotected sex with
other women. The husband steals
glances and shoots back denials, never quite looking her directly in the eye. The wife continues. She accuses him of infecting her with
HIV. The husband responds with the
accusation that it might have been her ex-boyfriend that gave it to her, and
she in turn, gave it to him. A
typical argument between husband and wife, except that the husband has three
wives and this conversation was captured by a documentary crew in a rural
village in modern day Zambia, Africa.
This scene in the film “The
Carrier”, a must-see feature length documentary film by first-time director
Maggie Betts, serves as a gap closer
between the HIV epidemic among African Americans in the U.S. and our distant
“cousins” on the continent. As I
watched the film, I could not help but feel connected.
Still Image From "The Carrier" |
Albert Maysles (seated) and Maggie Betts, director, "The Carrier" at the No More Stigma Film Series |
“The Carrier” was
the first feature film shown at the debut of GET DOWN and Maysles Cinema’s No More Stigma Film Series on
Thursday, June 21st. The evening opened with a sneak preview super trailer
from another first-time director Mike
Brown. “25 To Life” chronicles the aftermath of former Howard University
student William Brawner’s stunning announcement that he was HIV positive. The forthcoming feature
documentary captured the reaction of William’s close friends, former Howard
classmates, and family to his public disclosure on commercial radio. According to the film, William’s mother
instructed him at age two to never disclose this HIV status. It was this, states William, that
caused him to suppress this secret so deep down inside, that as a sexually
active young adult, he was promiscuous and had unprotected sex. The feature film will chronicle
William’s redemptive journey to find past lovers and make amends with those his
decisions have impacted, including his protective mother.
Still Image From "25 To Life" |
Peelahr Moore and Leah Thompson, producers, "25 To Life" at the No More Stigma Film Series |
According to “25 To
Life” producer Leah Thompson, the
film includes interviews with his mother, wife, and a few of those past lovers.
The full-length film has had a few
test screenings and according to director Brown “A number of people who have
seen the latest cut of "25 To Life" have said that the film will
be an explosive conversation starter around sex, STDs, relationships, and
beyond. To help us keep the
dialogue productive, we will enlist the support and assistance of experts
and organizations such as the Balm in Gilead, Black AIDS Institute, the CDC,
and the NAACP, to name a few.” “25 To Life” has received funding and
support from organizations such as the Ford Foundation, Sundance Documentary
Institute, and IDA.
De'Von Christopher and Jessica Green, Cinema Director. |
A post-screening
Q&A, was moderated by De’Von Christopher,
president and CEO of Bleu Life Media (Bleu
Magazine), included the filmmakers along with Adrian Guzman of the Center
For HIV Law and Policy/TeenSENSE and David
Lopez of Harlem United. The conversation became quite spirited around the
issue of criminalization of HIV, and whether someone who is HIV positive and
has unprotected sex without disclosing their status should be prosecuted as a
criminal. GET DOWN covered this
topic last year’s in the blog “Is It A Crime? A Look At HIV Criminalization in
the U.S.” Stopping by the event
was Maysles Institute Founder Albert
Maysles, who felt strongly that the world needed to see these films and
that “The Carrier” is a film that deserves distribution. We’re with you Mr. Maysles. We’re with you.
The No More Stigma Film Series will continue on
August 23rd, October 30th and December 1st for
World Aids Day 2012. Doors are 6:30pm and the screening
starts at 7:30pm.
To stay up to date
on the series, FRIEND US at http://www.facebook.com/getdownpsa
and join the Maysles Cinema mailing
list at www.mayslesinstitute.org.
To support and find
out more about Maggie Bett’s “The Carrier”, go to http://www.facebook.com/thecarrierfilm
and visit their website here http://www.thecarrierfilm.com/.
Check out Mike
Brown’s “25 To Life” here https://www.facebook.com/25ToLifeFilm
and join their mailing list here http://25tolifefilmsite.com/.
For more
information on the No More Stigma Film
Series and upcoming films, check out www.facebook.com/getdownpsa
and www.mayslesinstitute.org.
Read. Share. Discuss.
Educate.
--Kim J. Ford
GET DOWN Creator/Executive Producer
Getdownpsa2008@gmail.com
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