African Film Against Stigma

posted: 11/05/2011

No Blame, No Shame is an epic new HIV health promotion film from the African Health Policy Network (AHPN). The film tackles the taboos and stigma surrounding HIV infection in UK’s African community. No Blame, No Shame features top comedian Gina Yashere, alongside HIV positive UK Africans, in a film made by Angus Malcolm.
 

No Stigma in living with HIV

No Blame, No Shame is an online video that is also available as a DVD, promoting the African Health Policy Network’s Public Faces  campaign, that there is no stigma in living with HIV and that stigmatising attitudes only help spread HIV.
 

Watch No Blame, No Shame here
 

Eunice Sinyemu, Head of Policy and Deputy Chief Executive at AHPN says “We have to challenge the stigma around HIV in the UK's African communities. It stops individuals from getting tested, which means they don’t get the treatment they need, and are more likely to infect others. With Gina’s help, we are confident we can get this message across in a colourful, punchy and accessible way.”
“Gina is much-loved in the African community, and having a big name on board is really going to help us reach our audience.”

Wide distribution

AHPN is promoting the film to reach as many people in the African community as possible, including viral marketing and distribution on DVD, use in training for a wide range of specialists and professionals, faith leaders and communities, local and national policy makers, workers in the health and social care sectors, local and national media.

Read about the comedian Gina Yashere

The film was made by Angus Malcolm, writer and producer. With a background in healthcare, including several years in the AIDS Unit at the Department of Health, Angus specialises in producing low-cost media for the statutory and not-for-profit sectors, especially education and healthcare.

No Blame, No Shame
 

Comforted Creatures Video

posted: 14/04/2011

We produced this animation (with apologies to Ardman Animation’s Creature Comforts) as a serious but amusing presentation on some of our work, for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. You can view it on the new videos page of the HIV magazine Baseline.

We interviewed people with HIV who have benefited from our positive prevention work and residential weekends, funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
 

Excellent Presentation

After presenting all our Positive Prevention work which they have funded, to the Foundation's panel, they told us:

"George House Trust were the first to present and I have to say set a standard that was not replicated. If there was ever a lesson on how to do an interesting presentation, that was it.

Lynda and Colin spoke with passion about the work, the achievements so far and the publication of initial outcomes (they had the BHIVA/NHIVNA poster displayed).

An individual talked very openly and honestly about how he had benefited from the programme and to top it all we were treated to an animated film with people’s real experiences of the support and help they had received.

A perfect presentation with something for everyone - excellent!"

CHAPS impressed

We also showed this at the recent CHAPS conference held in Manchester for organisations and people involved in HIV prevention work with men who have sex with men. Robbie Currie, a leading NHS HIV prevention commissioner in London was very impressed, asking number of questions and commenting how useful a resource it was, and his interested in having something similar.  

View Comforted Creatures here http://www.baseline-hiv.co.uk/latest-videos

3D HIV Video

posted: 18/02/2011

Can you picture in your head what HIV looks like? It’s tough because HIV is so small and complicated, but now Ivan Konstantinov and Visual Science have created the most-detailed 3D video model of HIV.

You can see all of HIV in shining detail in this video.
 

This HIV model just won first place in the 2010 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.

How did they do it?
The model has 17 different viral and cellular proteins, the membrane includes 160 thousand lipid molecules, of 8 different types, in the same proportions as in HIV.

Orange shows the parts encoded by the virus's own genome, and the grey shades show the bits of the human cell taken into the virus.
 

At first glance, it might look like a fluffy gray and orange ball. HIV in real life is not fluffy, orange, or grey.

Ivan Konstantinov's winning illustration reduces HIV to simplicity. The challenge was to make a model of tiny HIV, barely 100-nanometers across.

100 articles and experts
To create the video they studied over 100 scientific articles on HIV and talked to experts. Then they used X-rays to see how to make the models for reconstructed viral proteins, then put together an entire HIV particle. They show the proteins using just two basic colors: gray shows bits taken in from the human cell, orange shows the virus's own genome.

Then they polished it up its final appearance with the help of experienced designers and 3D graphics specialists.
 

The model was on the cover of Nature Medicine in the autumn, as part of a special issue prepared by the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise.

The model's high resolution means it works well for anything from posters to animations and interactive apps for web and mobile platforms. They plan to use it in schools and to popularise science research. It will be useful in HIV medical research.
 

If you would like to see other winning entries from the 2010 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, visit the New Scientist online gallery.

Social Media - Talking About HIV

posted: 14/02/2011

All is not lost in the world of raising HIV awareness.  I Talk Because ....  is a cheap-as-chips community HIV awareness social media campaign in the USA. People shoot and upload their own video clips saying why they talk to other people about HIV.
 

It began in 2009 as a way to put HIV back onto New York people's radars. Going Viral Against HIV and STIs was the first social media conference looking to exploit the potential for HIV of social media and I talk because is just one example. 
 

Dozens of celebrities and others have now uploaded videos with thousands of views. This led Mashable.com, a social media news site, to make ‘I talk because ….’ one of the top five YouTube projects that are ‘making a difference’.

The ‘I Talk because …’ campaign debunks HIV myths and gives the facts, not just amongst peers, but across generations. It encourages conversations within families. And ultimately a willingness to talk is worthwhile because it breaks down boundaries and stigma.

"The stories of real people, and of how HIV has affected their lives, is a powerful way to bring home the message that HIV has not gone away, and that HIV continues its assault every day."
 

Cheap as chips

Another reason to like this campaign: the cheap-as-chips cost. The recent USA federal government’s campaign It's Never Just HIV cost $726,000 but "I Talk Because ..." is almost free because all the videos are user-generated. And it provides dozens of individual meaningful messages.
 

We should have more campaigns like this because it helps people realise that it's OK to talk about HIV. Talking encourages testing, and cuts HIV stigma and blame.
 

Upload vids to I talk because here

YouTube - Criminalise Hate not HIV

posted: 03/12/2010

Criminalise HATE not HIV is a new vid on YouTube, from the people at the UK HIV Stigma Index.

This film was shot by an incredible bunch of creative people including many from the UK HIV Stigma Index and something magical happened. We hope you enjoy it.
It has already had over 3000 hits.

Please share the vid
The Criminalise Hate not HIV video is part of the work by people involved with the UK HIV Stigma Index over the last 18 months. Please help promote this by putting it on your own facebook page, tweeting the link, emailing it to friends, or putting it on your website. All you have to do is visit the YouTube video and then click the Share button below the video and this lets you to add it to facebook, Twitter or send emails.

Working on next video – Verdict on a Virus
They are already working on a a short documentary 'Verdict on a Virus', to highlight the prosecution of people with HIV - editing this next video is already underway and it will be out soon.
 

UK HIV Stigma Index