Preserving the unique history of Aids activism
Photo: Nikki Kastner
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Inside the largest room in downtown Manhattan is a remarkable archive.
The New York City Public Library houses over 2,000 hours of film and videotape
charting the history of Aids activism.
These films were made by people in the front line and show
that activists really did make a difference in getting access to potentially
life-saving medications when corporate America and the Reagan government
didn't seem to care.
They are also a homage to the many brave activists who fought for people
living with HIV around the world, but who are now sadly no longer around
to inspire and motivate us.
Brooklyn-born Jim Hubbard is just one of a number of experimental film-makers
who captured this mass movement. "My involvement in activism has
always been through my film work," explains the 50-year-old gay New
Yorker: "We were working in the moment and the important thing was
to record what was happening and to get that information out to people
who needed it as quickly as possible and literally save
lives."
Is using film or using video better?
