IE:EN- -------------~----------- -----~----t Michael Callen, in his article "Pinned and Wriggling : While there are a number of articles addressing gay How Shall I Presume?", describes experiences of being rights within the context of dealing with the AIDS constructed as an object of inquiry during his involve­ crisis, this has occurred because gay people were the ment in "challenging" America's conceptualization of first visible group in North America to be identified AIDS and people living with AIDS. with Al DS. This issue reflects the community and AIDS/VIDEO/and the MEDIA provides an over­ "Making It: Al DS Activist Television" addresses political commitment of P.L .W.A.'s even in the face of contined harassment and discrimination. view of some of the "alternate" media production that video and the Al DS activist movement that is fighting has surfaced in response to the world-wide health government inaction on AIDS . In "Some Notes on Jan Grover, curator of the U.S. Arts Exhibition crisis: AIDS . There's educational AIDS information Collective Production", Sandra Elgear and Robin "AIDS : The Artists' Response" has kindly offered to tapes geared to specific communities, personal Hutt look at three New York based media collectives: review this issue of Video Guide for future publication memorials to people who have died of AIDS, commu­ Diva T.V., Gran Fury, and Testing the Limits, and in a 1990 Video Guide - so watch for it! I would also nity-based educational tapes, video art, and their involvement in the Al DS Activist movement. like to encourage interested video producers to respond documentary challenges to mainstream's representations "Do It!" is safer sex educational video by producers to this issue, especially those working in Al DS video in of Al DS. My favourite development is video production at NYC's Gay Men's Health Crisis. Spread The Word, a the many countries not mentioned in this issue. Please within the Al DS Activist Movement that is pressuring video produced by Australian Tracey Moffatt and address correspondence to myself c/o Video In, 1102 governments, educational and health care institutions directed specifically at the Australian Aboriginal Homer Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 2S2. to better address the educational needs of all sectors population is discussed. I've included a Safe Sex Finally, special thanks to Judy Weiser, Jan Grover, of our society and the current health care needs of page because it is crucial that people keep informed and my patient colleagues at the Video In. PLWA's (Persons Living With AIDS) and those sero­ about details around safer sex, especially video pro­ positive for HIV . ducers who are getting involved in Al DS educational Sue Jenkins Main points of discussion are the dominant media's video. for the Satellite Video Exchange Society representation of Al DS, its biases, and its neglect of certain groups in our society. Mainstream political In the video by Testing the Limits Collective in New agendas are exposed and criticized. There are discus­ York - Testing the Limits (Part 7) - Phil Reed of the sions of politics, power relations, sexism, racism, Minority Task Force on AIDS states "AIDS will either classism, and homophobia, as well as issues around kill us or politicize us." I hope this issue is a con­ access to means of production and access to public tribution to such a politicization process. cable airwaves. The following is a brief summary of articles included in this issue : The first six articles provide a snapshot of the politi­ cal climate around AIDS in B.C. and some of the video resources available. The first article is an interview with producer David Tuff about his videotape on the B.C. Government's "Quarantine Legislation", a VANCOUVER GUIDE dangerous response to the crisis of AIDS. Local video 3 ARE WE GOING BACKWARDS? resource libraries at both Al DS Vancouver and at the Vancouver's Video Magazine David Tuff in conversation with Ken Mann B.C. Ministry of Health are introduced, with brief Volume 10, Numbers 3,4 Issues 48,49 4 AIDS VANCOUVER VIDEO LIBRARY reviews of some of the videos available. Terry Leitch by Rick Marchand of the P.W.A. Coalition shares some of his experiences Publisher as an AIDS educator who uses video, and his feelings A PERSONAL STATEMENT about the banning of an educational Al DS video for The Satellite Video Exchange by Terry Leitch (A non-profit Society est. 1973) teenagers. Her Giveaway: A Spiritual journey with 5 HIV+ AIDS is an educational Al DS tape made specifically Managing Editor reviewed by Gordon Fisher for American Indians, reviewed by Ruby-Marie Dennis. Shawn Preus MINISTRY OF HEAL TH VIDEO HIV+ is another example of a community-based reviewed by Tony Carter · educational videotape about Al DS, made by and for Guest Editor This Issue teenagers. Producer/performer David Maclean tells us Sue Jenkins HER GIVEAWAY by Ruby-Marie Dennis about his latest videotape, Now Playing, and comments Production on gay social culture in the age of Al DS. Cowling & Assoc. 6 VIDEOS AGAINST AIDS - Screening at Video In John Greyson comments on the role of video and Crista Haukedal its potential effect on the AIDS crisis in his article Sue Jenkins NATIONAL "Requiem for Gaetan ": Greyson 's most recent pro­ Jill Kelly 7 NOW PLAYING duction, The World is Sick (Sic), about the Vth Karen Knights by Sue Jenkins International Conference on Al DS, is reviewed . Shawn Preus 8 REQUIEM FOR GAET AN Alexandra Johasz, in "Constructing Authority: Joe Sarahan by John Greyson Documentary Form and AIDS", wants us to under­ Contributors 9 THE WORLD IS SICK (SIC) stand "the formal organization of mainstream media Michael Callen reviewed by Mark Turrel in order to expose, challenge, and re-construct Al DS Jean Carlomusto representation." Alternate media producers can learn Tony Carter GLOBAL how to represent the AIDS crisis differently, how to AIDS Film Collective 10 CONSTRUCTING AUTHORITY: Documentary Form & Aids provide information, rather than evaluate. Alexandra Ruby-Marie Dennis by Alexandra Juhasz underlines the need for community specific program­ Sandra Elgear ming addressing the specific needs of people. Gordon Fisher 12 IN CONVERSATION with Isaac Julien and Pratibha Parmar In conversation, Black filmmakers from England Jose Gutierrez-Gomez 13 MINING THE ORO DEL BARRIO Pratibha Parmar and Isaac Julien discuss their respec­ John Greyson by Jose Gutierres-Gomez and Jose Vergelin tive films Reframing AIDS and This is Not an AIDS Robin Hutt Sue Jenkins 14 VIDEO AND THE 5th INT'L CONFERENCE ON AIDS Advertisement. Parmar's film challenges mainstream by Ken Morrison media's agendas and "re-contextualizes the represen­ Alexandra Juhasz tations of sexuality and race, to show them being Isaac Julien 16 PINNED AND WRIGGLING "re-invented". Julien 's film "uses images and repre­ Terry Leitch by Michael Callen sentations of sexuality to celebrate love and desire, Maria Maggenti 18 MAKING IT and shows the multiplicity of identities within gay Ken Mann by Jean Carlomusto culture." Rick Marchand Ken Morrison 19 MEDIA NETWORK: An Educational Guide In "Mining the Oro Del Barrio", Jose Gutierrez­ Pratibha Parmar by Maria Maggenti, Robin Hutt, Sandra Elgear Gomez and Jose Vergelin illustrate the power of the Mark Turrel AIDS FILM LIBRARY video medium in minority health education and Jose Vergelin by Aids Film Collective education around AIDS - referring to their educa­ tional AIDS video for Latinos, Ojos Que No Ven. Photos 20 SOME NOTES ON COLLECTIVE PRODUCTION by Sandra Elgear and Robin Hutt An overview of video at the Vth International Tom Buhr Conference on Al DS in Montreal is provided by one of Sue Jenkins 22 DO IT the organizers of the video section of the conference, Testing The Limits by jean Carlomusto and Gregg Bordowitz Ken Morrison, who talks about the role of video in Thanks To: 23 SPREADING THE WORD: an Interview with Tracey Moffatt relation to the Al DS epidemic, and analyses the Canada Council by Sue Jenkins effectiveness of the videos presented. City of Vancouver ULISSES CARRION - In Memorium 24 SAFE SEX PAMPHLET ISSN 02286726 25 MR JOE SAYS British Columbia, Canada 26 SCANNING 2nd CLASS MAIL REG. No. 7268 Cover: by Joe Sarahan Subscriptions to VIDEO GUIDE are available at $70.60 for 5 issues, $70.00 U.S. funds in U.S., overseas $15.00 Cdn. Send cheque or money order to VIDEO GUIDE, Satellite Video Exchange Society, 1702 Homer Street, Vancouver 2 VIDEO GUIDE 1989 British Columbia, Canada V6B 2X6 ' GOING Kenn Mann: Tell us about producing "Are We Going You also make references to the Quebec separatists separates. Backwards?" issue in 1970, the FLQ crisis ... Making "Are We Going Backwards?" must have been o David Tuff: It's been three years since the beginning of This is what I felt dealing with Bill 34. We woke up one very challenging piece of work. the idea. I was watching a tape I had recorded of T.Y. morning, and (the War Measures Act] had been passed evangelists with their slant of AIDS being a punishment from overnight. Neither my friends in the gay community nor my It was a real growing process for me, the first political God. There was a lot of controversy about subliminal mes­ friends in the straight community, had any idea that Bill 34 issue that I'd dealt with. When I finally completed the tape, I sages, the devil talking through rock and roll, etc. I was even existed, before it became law. There was an ignorance did it almost angrily. I didn't expect this tape to educate a lot playing the tape of the evangelists back, and they sounded on the part of the community as a whole that this was actually of people, but it was something I had to say in my own way, very much like the devil talking.