This month KinoWatt, a film series that was founded by Maori Karamel Holmes (LTA ’06, ACG ’06 ’05) and Sara Zia Ebrahimi (ACG ’09) , will be showing a collection of short films from the past thirty years that examine the impact of HIV/AIDS in communities of color in the US and Latin America during the opening of Witness: Artists Reflect on 30 Years of the AIDS Pandemic, curated by long time HIV/AIDS activist, David Acosta. The film screening will start at 7:30pm on Friday, December 2 at Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street. Tickets are $8 General Admission; $5 for students and available at the Asian Arts Initiative box office or online by clicking here.
Viva Eu!
Dir. Tania Cypriano (1989 Brazil, 18 min.)
Courtesy of Third World Newsreel
This documentary is a tribute to Wilton Braga, a visionary artist who was one of the first people to be diagnosed with AIDS in Brazil. As Braga travels to Barcelona, New York and Sao Paolo, the film follows the quixotic journey of his last days.
Kore
Dir. Tran T. Kim-Trang (1994 USA, 17 min.)
Courtesy of Third World Newsreel
The third installment in the series opens with two women who are blindfolded and making love. This visually lush and erotic exploration of blindness investigates questions of desire and power, empowerment and sexuality and AIDS/HIV as symbolized by the sense of sight.
Morir Por Amor: Latinas and AIDS
Dir. Marta Noemi Bautis (1998 Argentina/Brazil/Dominican Republic/USA, 47 min.)
Courtesy of Third World Newsreel
Maria suspects that her husband is being unfaithful. “And have you thought about AIDS?,” her friends warns her. The development of the story is juxtaposed by documentary elements filmed in Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and the United States. Morir por Amor: Latinas and AIDS is a story of hope in the middle of the threat by the increase of AIDS among women. It doesn’t present women as victims, but as a active agents in the transformation of their lives.
Seen, But Not Heard: AIDS and the Untold War Against Black Women
Dir. Cyrille Phipps (2008 USA, 12 min.)
Courtesy of Third World Newsreel
Seen, But Not Heard is a short documentary that will explore the historical antecedents, current trends, and emerging activism concerning HIV/AIDS and women of African descent. Through raw and revealing personal accounts and comprehensive investigative journalism, Seen, But Not Heard seeks to challenge, inform, and inspire viewers to look past the daunting HIV/AIDS statistics – to see and hear the real stories of women of color whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS.
America’s Shadows: HIV Risk in Black and Latino Youth
Dir. Tchaiko Omawale (2009 USA, 26 min.)
America’s Shadows examines the lives of four New York youth–each coming from statistically marginalized African-American and Latino neighborhoods and demographically at the highest risk for contracting HIV. The film transcends the conventional prevention campaign staples of “safe sex” and testing, and instead operates on the idea that to really prevent the spread of the disease, we must understand why these youth are at risk. By focusing on the socio-economic situations they face, it becomes clear why they sometimes put themselves in harm’s way.
