A portrait of two women,
their families, and the struggle to survive in the midst
of an unspoken epidemic.
Set in
the mountains of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, where the rate of infection in women
is twice that of men, and one out of every six people
is HIV+. This feature-length documentary provides an
unprecedented, intimate glimpse into the traditional
life of a rapidly changing culture. The story follows
Danisile and Ntombeleni, two Zulu women with full-blown
AIDS, as they attempt to access the recently introduced
antiretroviral (ARV) treatment
that will prolong their lives. As these women invite us
into their homes and share their stories, we witness firsthand
the hope these drugs offer. Yet the lack of resources
and support available threatens to overwhelm their fight
to survive in a community where orphans outnumber their
counterparts and funerals are daily occurrences.
 
Nominated
for Best Documentary LAFF 2008
Nominated for Haskell
Wexler Prize for Best Cinematography at Woodstock
Film Festival 2008
"...Immediately
engrosses...Undeniably beautiful to look at and powerfully
poetic"
–Karina Longworth, Spout and LA Weekly
"Speaking
Clearly about what HIV is and what it does is a
brave and clear step."
-Diane Goettel, A&U America's AIDS Magazine
"...successful blend of education,
treatment advocacy and celebration of Zulu culture."
-Ronnie Scheib, Variety
"Friedland's
[first feature] film boasts of the intimate restrain
of a seasoned filmmaker, supporting itself with beautiful
cinematography and the power of
humanity"
-Michael Lerman, indieWIRE
  
|
|
A D V I S O R Y
B O A R D :
Peter
Piot Director
of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicin, Former Executive Director of UNAIDS
Zachie Achmat Founder and Chairmanof
The Treatment Action Campaign
Gerald Friedland Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Medicine
Tony Moll Director of the
Philanjalo
and Church of Scotland Hospital
Wafaa El-Sadr Director of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiologic Research CIDER at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health
Judith Auerbach Vice President, Science & Public Policy San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Professor Hoosen Coovadia
Scientific Director at the Doris Duke Medical Research Centre at the University of Natal
Professor Umesh Lalloo Professor, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine
Phumzile Ndlovu Outreach Worker, Okhahlamba
Robert Sebler AIDS Researcher,
Columbia University
Demetria Royals Documentary
Filmmaker for PBS and HBO
Renata Simone Documentary Filmmaker
for WGBH and Frontline
Amy Stechler Documentary
Filmmaker
for PBSe
This film
was made possible with support from:
The
Paul Newman Foundation
The William Prussoff Foundation
The Jerome Foundation
DowntownCommunityTelevisionCenter
(DCTV)- Fiscal Sponsor
|
|
