Living Positive

Living Positive is a short documentary about the challenges and triumphs of HIV positive women in New Orleans, told through the words and stories of five HIV positive women. But far from stopping at individual stories, the film also explores the social forces underlying the disease—including racism, poverty, lack of information about HIV, and the stigma associated with the disease.

The film was made as part of the Documentary for Social Justice class at San Francisco State University by four students. Deborah Craig, Ryan Hildebrant and Anthony Massung worked on research and planning the film starting in August 2007. Brett Hickman joined the team and shared his amazing talents as a camera operator and still photographer for the February 2008 shoot on location in New Orleans.

Funding for the special 12-unit, year long class was made possible by the National AIDS Fund. The class consisted of 16 students organized into 5 teams. Each team traveled to a different area of the United States profiling the lives of women living with HIV with an emphasis on the impact of the HIV virus on women of color.

The highest rate of new HIV infections in the United States is occurring in women of color.

For more information visit: documentaryforhealth.sfsu.myefolio.com/