Living Art: HIV/AIDS at Center Stage [film]

Produced by Southern Moon Productions with Rockefeller Foundation support, this 28-minute-long documentary features interviews and footage from performances at XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, June 2004, which brought together almost 200 artists working on AIDS issues.

Drawing on these interactions and presentations, Living Art: HIV/AIDS at Center Stage focuses on the roles of culture, art, and performance in the AIDS response - particularly expressions that are emerging directly from communities. The video investigates how art and culture are used in AIDS work, what people are doing in communities around the world, and why. It illustrates some innovative ways that artists and people affected by AIDS are developing new ideas and approaches for learning, educating and sharing experiences of HIV. Its purpose is to communicate why community-based cultural approaches need to be at the heart of the AIDS response.

Short section themes are provided to enable viewers to jump to particular topics of interest (though they are interwoven and reinforced throughout the entire film):

1. Opening doors
2. Humanity
3. Why culture and arts?
4. Edutainment
5. Raising questions
6. Bridging gaps
7. Sharing information
8. Condoms
9. Fighting stigma
10. Inspiring hope

This film is intended to reach, or to be useful for, artists interested in AIDS issues, community and cultural programme coordinators, HIV/AIDS activists, HIV support groups looking for creative ideas, health workers, educational organisations, youth groups, organisations interested in community-building activities, policy makers, researchers and implementers, and donors who may be skeptical about whether to fund cultural activities that seek to address HIV/AIDS.

In an effort to stimulate and support viewers to engage in dialogues around the film, and to inspire new creative responses to HIV/AIDS, an 18-page viewers' guide accompanies the film. The guide features an introduction, details on how to use the guide, a discussion warmer/starter on HIV and the arts, key questions, post-viewing reflection questions, questions to ask ourselves each day, script, and a list of artists working on HIV issues (for more information).