DOCUMENTARY FOCUS Moodphase sive and Godessawith a message for young women: take control and use your power to negotiate your relationships. This upbeat film uses a popular form to promote the empowerment of female iden- tity. *Hoearonaand Ts og a / directors, Dumisani Phakati and Sechaba Ramotoai. Ho ear rona (Wearegoingforward)isa shortfilm aboutfour friends. Thabiso was a national boxer;Thabo, known to his friends as Kwasa Kwasa, is a DJ;Bimbo, atrue intel- lectual, is a man of short sentences; and Moalosiis an AIDS activist. Allfour are HIV positive. They meetto reflect on their lives, to cry, to reminisce - but also, most impor- Compiled by JANINE DE VILLIERS children betweenthe ages of five to eight tantly,to laugh. / A Soweto schoolmade Promotions and Publications aware of HIV/AIDS. Other topics include headlines after 70% of their students were the life stories and endeavours of AIDS reported to have tested HIV positive. he role ofthe librarianinthe com- activist Zackie Achmat and South African Ignorance and fear became the agents for munityhas evolved from provider gay and lesbian liberation movement pio- discrimination. Yearslater,Joyce, an ex- T of books and information to be- neers Simon Nkoliand Bev Ditsie. Several learner shares her experiences of being coming more actively involved in the human interest stories make the threat of raped as a young girl and suffering discrimi- community. The public expect the librarian this killer virus real and the stories would be nation after testing HIV positive. Having to provide assistance, support and infor- easy forlibrary patrons to relate to. overcome the challenges posed by her HIV mation on a varietyof social and health is- status, she provides a source of guidance sues as they may feelinhibited by social Religious groups and encouragement. structures and conventions to approach Alutacontinua/ director,JackLewis. other knowledgeable role players in the Body and soul/ director,Melody `HIVis not a death sentence!',say the HIV community who would be more suitable to Emmett. positive group from Khayelitsha. They tell performthatfunction. HIV/AIDS is forcing religious leaders to their stories in a series of short films which The acquired immune deficiency syn- reassess their traditional attitudes to sexu- are then screened attaxi ranks and shop- drome, generally known as AIDS, has ality in a country where 90% of the popula- ping malls in CapeTown's townships. This reached pandemic proportions, but ignor- tion claim one sort of religious affiliation or powerful film aboutcourage inthe face of ance aboutthis disease is rife.Librarians another.Duringthestruggleagainstapart- deathincludes footage ofthe group process, should make use of allmeans available to heidthechurchesplayedaleadingrolein the shortfilms themselves and their public informthe community aboutthe spreading the fight for freedom. Today millions of screenings. Although they were too young of the disease, living with AIDS and the people are in a desperate situation because to be partofthe struggle against apartheid, implicationsit hasin AIDSvictims'lives and of HIV/AIDS.What role do the clergy playin they face a new struggle intheirlifetime. those theycome into contact with. Infor- this new struggle for human rights? Body & Theydecideto callthe film A luta continua- mation about AIDS will empower them to soullooks atthe attitudes ofthree main reli- the struggle continues. makeinformed decisions and take charge of gionsin South Africa through people onthe situations they might be confronted with. ground who have to interpret and practise Mother-to-child The Western Cape Provincial Library religion in terms of today's realities. Service has taken a number of videos on transmission AIDS into stockand will continue to do so. HIV positive groups Mother to child/ director,JaneThandi Librarians should take note ofthe latest Lipman. materialrecentlyreceived and not yet cata- *Dreams of a good lifeand Gotta give/ The prevention of mother-to-child logued - a series called Steps for the future directors,Bridget Pickering and Eddie transmission of HIV- the statistics, the dealing with AIDS-related issues. Quite a Edwards. people - come vividly to life in this docu- few titles are available in more that one lan- Afilmoflaughter,fearandthesolaceof mentary,which follows the lives oftwo guage, which make them accessible to a sharing. Five womentalkaboutlife, love pregnant and HIV positive womenlucky varietyof library patrons, and how theirdreams for the future have enoughto be partof a drug trial atthe Chris Issues addressedinclude the attitudes of changed since finding out they are HIV Hani Baragwanath Hospitalin Soweto. The religiousgroups, interviews with human positive. The women now examine their film charts the lives of Pinkie and Patience immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive relationships with men more openly than as they approachthe delivery oftheir groups, the prevention of mother-to-child ever before. Afilm with and about HIV babies. It reveals their expectations, hopes transmission of HIVand an attemptto make positive women. / A music video featuring andinevitable fears concerning notonly the Cape Libr.,Jan/Feb 2003 50 DOCUMENTARY FOCUS health of their babies, butthe trauma with HIV for 14 years. The public outrage around the disclosure oftheir status totheir thatfollowed forced himinto his toughest families and partners as well. fight yet - the battle for acceptance. This is a story told by thosewho are still alive. For young children Looking for Busi/ director,Robyn True friends/ director,Bert Hofmeyr. Sonnenschein. Here is the incredible story of a fifteen- Atrilogy of short films using hand-made year-old'sjourney to take control of her life. animalpuppets to dramatise differentissues Abandoned by her mother when she falls around HIV/AIDS, making them easily pregnant, even before testing positive for accessible to young children five to eight HIV, she must depend on the help of years old. extended family and friends. Life starts to lookup when Busi is chosen both for a Activists and pioneers mother-to-childdrugtrialandtobethe subject of a television documentary. But It's my life/ director,BrianTilley. after the television programme is aired on Zackie Achmatis an AIDS activist who South Africantelevision, exposing her HIV refuses totake anti-retroviralsuntiltheyare status to the world, she disappears. Des- made freely available. After defeating the perately worried, the filmmaker and her multi-national drug companies, he takes on best friend go looking for her. the South African governmentforits con- fusing policies around HIV/AIDS. When Other titles in this series Zackie getsill, hisprovocative positionisnot A red ribbon around my house one all his friends and colleagues support. *The ball and The sky in her eyes Everyone wants to know why he refuses to Dancing on the edge take the medicines that wouldlet himlead a Eclipse healthier life. Shot over five months, per- *Guiltyand The moment sonal and public images are interwovento Heavy traffic provide an intimate lookat an internation- House of love ally profiled defiance campaign and the Imiti ikula complexities of itsleading figure. *Let's talk about it and Dispel your atti- Simon & I/ directors,Beverley Palesa tudes Ditsie and Nicky Newman. Love in a time of sickness Simon & Irecounts the lives oftwo giants *Master Postive and Not afraid inthe South African gay andlesbian libera- Aminer'stale tion movement, Simon Nkoli and the film- *Ndodiiand Big balls maker herself,Bev Ditsie. The storyis Night stop narrated by Bev, both as a personal state- *That's me;andChoose life ment and a political history.Through good Wa 'n wina times and bad, their relationship is viewed against a backdrop of intense political acti- For more reviews and titles on HIV/AIDS vism and the HIV/AIDS crisis. Their con- refer to the article AIDSin Africa on video,by verging and diverging lives, culminating in Freddy Ogterop in CL May/June 2001pp Simon'sdeath, are revealedinthis heartfelt 42-43. testament using a mixed format of inter- * Two titles on one video. views and archive footage. Note: Reviews by Freddy Ogterop, Film/Video/ Human interest stories DVD Selector. Afightingspirit/ director,Leo Phiri. 3 A national hero turns public enemy when he confesses his tragic secret. Gilbert Josamu, Zimbabwean middle-weight boxing champion, discovered he was HIV positive atthe height of his career. Living in a society where HIV/AIDSis taboo,Josamu forged his medical certificate and continued to pursue his career. Just months before he died, he finally confessed to having lived Kaapse Bibl.,Jan/Feb 2003 51.