edited by John Clarkson with Jon Keay, Email news, listings and product info to us at eye@positivenation.co.uk
A
controversial new film looks at why 80 per cent of new HIV infections acquired
in the UK are among gay men.
Premiering at this year’s London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, No
Magic Bullet asks why, after a decade of safe-sex culture, infections
are still rising in this group.
Director Jaime Sylla was moved to make the film after watching
with frustration as more and more of his friends were diagnosed with HIV.
His film takes a personal look at why, despite social and medical progress,
there are still such high levels of infection in the community.
“I belong to one of the first generations of gay men for whom the virus
has always been around,” said Jaime.
“Without condemning anyone, I wanted to explore the progress we’ve
made as a community and look at the risks we might be taking and the reasons
why.”
The film follows three gay men, untested and long-term diagnosed with HIV,
who share their stories of therapy, stigma, recreational drug use and homophobia.
Expect no easy answers from No Magic Bullet as it pulls no punches about a
difficult subject that cannot be addressed often enough.
For full details of this year’s festival visit: www.llgff.org.uk
Derek
Jarman’s HIV-related death in 1994 robbed British film-making
of a true original. His unique and visually poetic films manage to be at once
deeply personal and overtly political, and push the boundaries between art
and film while remaining entirely watchable. Three of his most notable works
have been digitally restored, re-mastered and re-released on DVD by the British
Film Institute (BFI). The Angelic Conversation (1985) sets
Judi Dench’s reading of Shakespeare sonnets against a non-linear tale
of erotic longing. Caravaggio (1986) is a more conventional
if no less controversial exploration of the passionate life of the Renaissance
master. And Wittgenstein (1993) is Jarman’s boldly
offbeat biography of the troubled philosopher.
From the start of the epidemic, artists have been at the forefront of expressing
what it means to be living with HIV, from Keith Haring’s pop-inspired
figures to the more visceral expression of artists like Franko B. Today there
are many artists living with or affected by HIV who do not always get the
same recognition. Here are a couple:
Tania
Warner’s (right) diagnosis at the tender age of 20 didn’t
leave much time for her artistic passions. Now in the second year of a fine
art degree she uses the expressive power of art as a healing tool. Her abstract
expressive canvases were recently on display at Bethnal Green town hall. “My
paintings are intentionally colourful and vibrant,” she said. “I
am deeply interested in the mind-body-spirit connection, gestural effects
and the healing power of colour and light.”
Liverpool based artist Nicholas Franklin has donated some
of his work to brighten up the various HIV charity buildings in the north-west. “In the past two years several of my close friends have been diagnosed
with HIV,” said Franklin, whose day job is art director for Grange Hill
and Hollyoaks.
“I’ve given their HIV service providers – Sahir House, George
House Trust and The Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester – some
large canvases for their receptions and counselling rooms. They are from a
series of pictures made from old magazines (including PN) called Pride.”
www.materialboy.info
Living
with HIV in the UK is hard enough, but the courage and resilience shown by
people in sub-Saharan Africa at the forefront of the pandemic cannot be overstated.
Heroism is the subject of Steve Simon’s photographs
in the new book Heroines and Heroes – Hope, HIV and Africa.
Shot in Lesotho, Ethiopia, Zambia and Mozambique, his images see beyond the
obvious tragedy, focussing instead on the real lives of people for whom treatment
is often an inaccessible dream and stoic dignity is the only option.
£19.99 • Charta
ISBN 888158610X
Most young women don’t think HIV affects them according to new research.
So Body Shop and MTV have launched their
new Spray to Change Attitudes campaign to remind people HIV infections are
spreading fast among girls and women in major cities. Part of the campaign
is Body Shop’s limited edition Rougeberry eau de toilette,
a sparkling explosion of berry fruits and beautiful florals, available until
the end of March. All proceeds go to MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation
that aims to prevent the spread of HIV among young people. Additional funds
are being raised with an auction of the original Spray to Change Attitudes
artwork by artist Sarah Howell.
The Body Shop will also have leaflets in store that provide guidance on staying
safe and how people can help.
www.spraytochangeattitudes.com
£8 • Body Shop stores
Watch out for ILVA, the latest concept in affordable home
furnishing. Danish by design but with influences from Milan, Paris and Asia,
ILVA offers style without the wallet busting price tags. ILVA have cleverly
positioned itself to compete with IKEA on price and Habitat on style. With
stores Lakeside Thurrock, Manchester and Gateshead
and more planned, the Danish style revolution has officially arrived. JK
www.ilva.co.uk
ActionAid
is looking for volunteers to help build a community centre for people living
with HIV in Cambodia.
Sign up for the 2007 ActionAid Cambodia Challenge and work
side by side with local people to create a building that was act as school,
surgery and refuge. In the evenings relax and enjoy local food, dance and
drink. After the challenge, volunteers visit the French colonial town of Siem
Reap and the Angkor Wat temples.
Participants pay a £300 registration fee and then raise around £3,200
in sponsorship with 55 per cent going towards ActionAid projects.
Jodie Cohen, ActionAid fundraising spokesperson, said: “You leave with
sense of achievement you don’t often get from a two week package holiday.” ActionAid also runs challenges in the Brazilian Rainforest, Peru Inca Trail,
Tanzania Rift Valley, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. JK.
www.actionaid.org.uk/adventures • 01460 238047
One
in four people experience mental health problems and rates can be even higher
among those of us with HIV. It’s difficult to know where to turn when
you start feeling mental distress, but the Mental Health Foundation’s
revamped website is good place to start. Updated daily with news, the comprehensive
website provides the latest information on over 50 mental health problems,
their symptoms and treatments available. The website's interactive Have
Your Say section allows visitors to talk to each other and share
their own personal experiences online and their directory contains 2,000 organisations
offering information and support.
www.mentalhealth.org.uk
Earls Court • 9 March–1 April • Ticket hotline 0870 606
6080 • www.idealhomeshow.co.uk
for a discounted ticket
(booking fee applies)
PN has joined forces with the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show to
offer five lucky readers the chance to win a pair of weekday tickets worth £28 (upgradeable to weekend tickets by paying £5). The show features
celebrity DIY and cooking theatres by chefs like Ainsley Harriot (left) and
a specially constructed town with its own pub. Also check out the advice centre
for expert tips on property, gardening, renovation and interiors.
Answer the question below and return your entry by 12 March to Ideal Competition,
250 Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5RD. The first person drawn with the correct
answer will also receive a £30 voucher courtesy of Pizza Express.
JK.
03 EDINBURGH A chance to sing Haydn’s Nelson Mass with
conductor Dominic Peckham at St George’s West church.
All proceeds to Waverley Care. Rehearsal 2pm • £12.50 (£9
concs) • Concert 7.30pm • Audience tickets £9.50 (£7
concs) • 0131 226 2206
12 LONDON The Lighthouse Gala Auction. Spend an evening at
Christie’s with THT celebrity supporters and bid for some exclusive
lots including a day on the set of Coronation Street with Anthony Cotton.
£125 • kate.crabtree@tht.org.uk
15 EUROPE Deadline for the One Vision photographic competition. Run by BMS supported by UKC
and NAT it aims to challenge HIV stigma and discrimination
by depicting the realitiy of life with HIV. Prizes for amateur and professional
photographers. www.onevisionphoto.org
17 LONDON Positive Parenting and Children have re-launched the Father’s Support Group for fathers living with
HIV. Oscar Isaac on 020 7738 7333
18 EVERYWHERE This Mother’s Day why
not give her the gift of giving? UNICEF has a range of ways you can support
orphans livng with HIV in Africa and then ‘gift’ it to her - much
more original than chocolates. www.unicef.org.uk
29 EVERYWHERE World TB Day. People who have
experienced TB/MDR-TB are invited to submit their stories to the TB
Survival Project’s writing competition. Deadline 17 March •
www.tbsurvivalproject.org
29 LONDON THT’s support group for HIV negative people
whose partners are living with HIV. A chance to share experiences, give and
receive emotional support, access information, develop friendships and campaign
about common issues. 18.30–20.30pm • 020 7812 1777
29 MERSEYSIDE Sahir House has re-established
its Joint Members Forum 2-4pm. 0151 708 9080 • www.sahir.uk.com
The Cara Trust is launching a new free counselling service
for people living with HIV at its Ladbroke Grove centre. mail@caralife.com • 020 7745 7257
HIV and Recruitment is a new booklet from NAT for people living with HIV and employers, offering practical advice on disclosing
your HIV status, dealing with health questions, accounting for gaps in employment
and legal obligations.
www.nat.org • 020 7814
6767
The latest issue of NAT’s journal Impact examines stigma levels in HIV media coverage and includes an interview with
the director of the Press Complaints Commission and articles by Chris Smith,
Gaydar and PN editor Amanda Elliot as well as advice on challenging stigma
in mainstream media. www.nat.org
George House Trust is running a course for gay men diagnosed
with HIV positive in the last 12 month. To attend you must live in the north-west
and be able commit to five Wednesday evening sessions between 6-8pm begining
18 April. colin@ght.org.uk • 0161 274 4499
The Basement Sessions is a new group for black African and
Caribbean gay, bisexual men and those questioning their sexuality. Every second
Sunday from 11 February between 3 and 6pm in the Leeds MESMAC offices. p.boyle@mesmac.co.uk • 0113 2444 209
RYL Training Consultancy and Positive Place are holding a
leadership programme to enhance people’s confidence levels and self-esteem.
The philosophy of leadership is about responsibility to oneself and others
living with HIV in relation to equal rights and the realisation of personal
goals and visions. Begins 2 April and runs over six Monday evenings. Contact
David Doré on 020 8694 9988 or Danny West on 020 8691 8956
