AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) to Screen Acclaimed AIDS Documentary on World AIDS Day
Toronto, November 25th, 2005 — The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT), in partnership with Rainbow Cinemas, will host a free public screening of Robert Bilheimer's acclaimed AIDS documentary "A Closer Walk" on World AIDS Day (December 1st).
The film, which shows at 9:30 p.m. at Rainbow Cinemas Market Square (80 Front Street East), investigates the human toll of the AIDS epidemic across the globe — orphans in Uganda, gay men in America, injection drug users in Ukraine, young mothers in India, and more.
"With Toronto hosting the International AIDS Conference in August 2006, now is the time to get people thinking about how HIV/AIDS impacts people locally and globally," says Tyler Stiem, ACT's Communications Coordinator. "There is this sense that AIDS in North America and AIDS in Africa are two very different things: One is an inconvenience, the other is certain death. On the one hand, people underestimate the effects of HIV/AIDS on Canadians, and on the other, they are overwhelmed by the enormity of the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa and the developing world. It's an obstacle to meaningful action."
Forty million people are living with HIV/AIDS around the world. Fifty-eight thousand people are living with HIV/AIDS in Canada, and 30% of those people do not know they're infected. Seven Canadians are newly infected each day, two of whom live in Toronto. These numbers illustrate the ongoing need for prevention education, care, and support programs in Canada and abroad.
"People living with HIV/AIDS in the developed and developing world have more in common than one might think. Regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, race, or class, they face stigma, isolation, and health issues that can compromise their livelihoods. "A Closer Walk" illustrates some of the parallels between the two and drives home the point that AIDS needs to be fought on the local and international fronts," Stiem adds.
Tickets for "A Closer Walk" are available on a first come, first serve basis at the theatre. For more information, contact Tyler Stiem, ACT's Communications Coordinator, at 416-340-8484 ext. 225 or tstiem@actoronto.org.