(North American
Premiere)
Screening Time: Friday, May 2, 10:00 PM, Charles Theatre 4
Director: Louise Hogarth
Cast: Doug Hitzel, Kenboy, Dr. Walt Odets, James
L. Bloor
Country: U.S.
Year: 2002
Running Time: 62 minutes
Format: Beta SP
 By
examining the phenomena of “bug chasers” (HIV negative
men looking to deliberately become infected with HIV) and “gift
givers” (HIV positive men who give “the gift”
of HIV infection), The Gift provides a thought-provoking
view into the current state of AIDS prevention. Issues such as
trying to present a reassuring message to AIDS sufferers while
trying to convey the gravity of the disease to uninfected men,
as well as dealing with the guilt felt by HIV negative men who
have lost friends and partners to AIDS, show the challenge facing
the prevention effort.
The men are allowed to speak in their own words. We are introduced
to two men who present their rationale for wanting to convert
to HIV positive status – once they have the virus, it would
remove the constant worrying about becoming infected or help them
feel that they better belonged in a community, etc. We also meet
men, who have lived with the virus for many years and are now
more concerned about the severe cardiac conditions they have developed
after taking anti-AIDS drugs for many years.
Twenty-one years after the term AIDS was coined, what began as
a panic has now subsided into a dangerous complacency. Recent
advances, while promising, have lead to the mistaken belief that
AIDS is now an easily manageable disease. The Gift is
a thought-provoking documentary that will certainly create discussion
and debate about where to go from here in the AIDS prevention
effort.
--Dan Krovich
Presented By: Louise Hogarth
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