Thing with No Name: HIV/AIDS in South Africa
Sarah Friedland, a filmmaker and friend who has collaborated with us in producing documentaries about health activists, is currently on tour with Thing with no Name, a film she directed about HIV in South Africa. Its next showing will be at the Starz Denver Film Festival from November 13 to 19,2008.
The film, shot in the summer of 2006, traces two Zulu women with AIDS as they begin treatment with anti-retroviral medications. The following You Tube clip gives a sense of the issues raised by the movie as well as its visual beauty and quiet flow.
Here is their description of the film:
Thing With No Name, a feature-length documentary, is an intimate portrait that follows two women with full-blown AIDS in rural South Africa as they try to access treatment through the public sector. The film takes the viewer to Okhahlamba, a traditional Zulu area nestled in the shadow of the Drakensburg Mountains, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site. Filmmakers Sarah Friedland and Esy Casey were introduced to this community by one of its members, their friend and Ground Producer Phumzile Ndlovu.
Through this connection, the filmmakers were able to integrate into the families with ease, participating in the daily activities of people living with the illness, and sharing in their moments of pain, joy, and humor.
This film is a portrait of two families, and more specifically, two individuals: Danisile Mvula and Ntombeleni Mlangeni. The film opens with both women describing their history and understanding of HIV/AIDS. From there, it takes the viewer through both womens’ experiences as they initiate treatment. Danisile responds well to the medications that she is now committed to for the rest of her life; she creates nicknames to help her remember the different pills, and goes over the protocol with her family and her homebased caregiver, a volunteer nurse. Ntombeleni does not respond as positively, losing all strength. Unable to walk, she is carried home from the hospital on her sister-in-law’s back. She becomes delirious, refusing to take the medicine, but gradually adjusts to it, and there is a brief moment of calm as both women begin their new reality. At this stage, other aspects of Ntombeleni and Danisile’s lives are explored: Danisile’s strained relationship with her teenage daughter, and the traditional Zulu ceremonies that Ntombeleni’s family
holds to combat her illness in their own way.
The filmmakers have also produced a production blog recounting the story of the movie’s creation and current distribution. For an interview with Sarah Friedland, see Indiewire.
posted by Matt Anderson, MD
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Esy and I are delighted to let you know that Thing With No Name is now available for purchase or rent on iTunes and will be available soon on Amazon.com VOD. Please feel free to pass this link along to anyone who might be interested in it; half of our share of the proceeds goes to the Philakahle Well-Being Centre in KwaZulu Natal to directly benefit the Home Based Carers.
itunes
spout article
Also, TWNN will be screening at the Cleveland International Film Festival, so if you will be in the area or have any friends or family who might be interested we’d love to see you there:
Thursday, March 26th @ 9:50pm
Friday, March 27th @ 4:45pm
http://www.clevelandfilm.org/ciff_films_find-details.php?fid=2790
All the best,
Sarah Friedland
Director/Co-Producer
http://www.thingwithnoname.org
facebook
From the makers of Thing with no Name
Hello!
2008 was a fantastic year for ‘Thing With No Name’. We were very fortunate to able to tour with the film and share it with many people.
The film was well received at multiple festivals, which gave us the opportunity to engage with fantastic audiences and meet an inspiring group of emerging and veteran filmmakers.
We are also thrilled that the film has started to take on a life in education, training and advocacy. The film is being used for these purposes by hospitals, NGO’s and community based organizations in the U.S. and South Africa.
It is strange to think that there was a time when we were just thinking about the possibility of making this film; what it would look like, what would it say, and where it go. It has been an amazing experience getting to this point and we are so thankful to all of you for making that happen.
Along with the screenings, we have been raising money for the families in the film and Philakahle, an NGO based in the community where ‘Thing With No Name’ takes place.
We were able to return to South Africa in May of 2008 and share with the families the funds that had been donated on their behalf. We also had the humbling experience of watching the film with the family members and loved ones who were interested in seeing it. It felt like watching a suspense/thriller, as the entire time we were at the edge of our seats wondering what they were thinking. But those who saw it, were moved and appreciated it.
Recently we were able to send another portion of donations raised from screenings and DVD sales to the Home Based Carers Committee, a group of volunteers who care for sick people in the community. As many of you helped contribute, we wanted to share the thanks we received in response to your donations. Please see the attached note and the notes pasted bellow.
Much love and happiness for the New Year.
Best,
Sarah Friedland and Esy Casey
http://www.twnn.blogspot.com
http://www.thingwithnoname.org