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SINGAPORE - The world through the eyes of an HIV-positive black woman is surprisingly lambent.
In the lead-up to World Aids Day on December 1, HBO is telecasting "Life Support", the story of HIV-positive Ana Wallace, who channels her energy and regret over her past history of drug abuse into a campaign to educate and save others with HIV. The movie stars Queen Latifah, who won a Golden Globe for her role as Ana, and is directed by writer, producer, and filmmaker Nelson George.
"Life Support" is George's first feature film, and he is also its co-writer. The story is inspired by the life of his sister. "My sister and I had a very trying relationship for many years, due partly to her use of drugs and partly to some other issues in our family", the 50-year-old director told TODAY over the phone from New York City. "Once she got the virus in 1992, I thought she was going to die, because at that point there wasn't a lot of treatment. What in fact happened was that she became a very strong fighter. She evolved into a person who took care of others. Over the years, her ability to be a leader within our community grew.
"One day, I followed her on her work giving out condoms and talking to people about medical treatment, attending the support group meetings that you see in the movie. She moved from someone I had issues with to someone I really admired. And I felt this was the way to tell a story about HIV - not about dying with HIV, but about how people live with HIV.
"Initially, I wanted to do a film about HIV in the African-American community, not about my sister. But once I realised that she was the way to tell the story, it all came together."
Improvised, unscripted scenes of George's sister's support group meetings structure and give the movie a sense of unity. "I knew that the women with the virus had things to say," said George. "As much as possible, we wanted it to feel like you were in a circle with these women. We found that these support group meetings were so real and so powerful that we (used them as key scenes)."
Indeed, the movie is "particularly from the point of view of working-class women", and champions their cause. "It's not about race - it's about economics," said George. "If you look at what’s going in Africa and even in black America, the poorest women are the ones who are the major victims of the virus. They have the least access to healthcare, they are the ones who traditionally aren't as valued as much as men.
"Race and poverty and class are so linked in this disease. I think certainly if you're a black woman who's living in a poor neighbourhood, your chances of getting good health support are terrible."
It's evident, from the conversation that George feels strongly about speaking out on behalf of women. "I grew up in a house full of women," he said. "You get a different perspective. And I think that black women in particular are under-represented in film in America and around the world.
I wanted to make a movie centred on black women in which they had a real voice ... A film whose narrative was about their experience, and they were part of the journey and not the other way around. With women, there's an opportunity to tell stories that have never been told."
Continuing his mission, George is also producing a documentary that will be out next year titled Good Hair, about black women, their hair, and how European influences have shaped the world’s beauty standards.
Above all, "Life Support" is a unique and refreshing perspective on a global issue. "Most films that have been made about HIV have been made from the point of view of gay men," said George matter-of-factly.
"But in fact, when you look at infection rates around the world, it is heterosexual women who are the biggest victims. I wanted to take what people might feel they might already know about HIV and make it more personal, more immediate, and more powerful."
"Life Support" premieres on November 25 at 11pm on HBO (StarHub Ch 60), with encore telecasts leading up to World Aids Day on December 1 at 9pm. - TODAY/fa
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