In observance of World AIDS Day on December 1, Showtime aired a series of six short films by filmmakers from the graduate division of the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. The presentation was hosted by actor Alec Baldwin (Ghosts of Mississippi, Path To War, Hunt For Red October), who is the chair of the TSOA Dean's Council and an alumnus of the School's Department of Drama.
The six films, each between three and 15 minutes and presented under the banner "NYU Filmmakers - KNOW HIV/AIDS," all explored AIDS-related themes. The students each received production assistance and funding to help cover production expenses. Additionally, they were supervised through pre-production, production, and post-production by Kanbar Institute faculty members with Showtime Networks' feedback as needed. The filmmakers and their films are:
Nicholas Harder and Tom Folsom
Road to Gulu: Two young filmmakers look at the AIDS crisis in Uganda.
Alison Marek
The Playground: An 8-year-old AIDS-infected girl moves into a new neighborhood and the community reacts - told from the child's point of view.
Charles Wachter
Dreams & Giants: An animated fable about a kingdom that suffers from an incurable blight and a king who does not want to share the cure with his subjects.
Adam Feinstein
Say You Love Me: A documentary following the days leading up to the wedding between an HIV-positive older woman and a younger man.
Godofredo Astudillo
Brighter Days: A young GI tries to rescue his teenage brother from a life on the street.
Andrea Williams
A Spoonful of Sugar: A young girl with AIDS begins to experiment with sex.
Immediately following the Kanbar films the network showcased the Oscar(R) nominated film Longtime Companion. This film, which debuted in 1990, was one of the seminal films about the AIDS virus.
These programs air as part of Showtime Networks' ongoing commitment to participate in the Viacom and Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation's multi-year HIV/AIDS initiative, entitled KNOW HIV/AIDS, which disseminates awareness and prevention messages through PSAs, broadcast and cable television programming, free print, and online resources.
