When I first saw the description of this documentary, my initial reaction was, "Fight AIDS with art? What do you mean?" The answer to that question provides a compelling look into the creativity we need to tap into in order to address the worldwide AIDS crisis. The umbrella of "art" includes street theater, puppet shows, traditional painted teaching scrolls, dance performances, and other means of sneaking in a message that the audience might not pay attention to without the distraction of entertainment. A group of people in a town square aren't likely to listen attentively to a dry medical lecture, but they'll happily watch a show that presents much of the same information. In a country where HIV is running wild, with an estimated 90% of carriers unaware they're infected, we have to get the knowledge out there any way we can.Out in India chronicles the journey of UCLA arts professor David Gere as he travels to India on a six-month fellowship to organize a conference, to gather together local artists from across India who are already using their talents to increase HIV/AIDS awareness, so they can compare notes and feel that they are part of a tangible movement. We get to go along for the ride, but we also see David's partner Peter and their two children as they navigate life in a foreign country, with the added challenge that David is traveling around India and both childcare and preschool are dicey propositions. In the end, David's Make Art/Stop AIDS conference is a huge success, splashed with a little extra glamor by a cameo appearance by David's brother Richard Gere, and Peter and the kids pull through unscathed.
Director Tom Keegan deftly weaves the personal with the global, bringing to life an issue that will reverberate through the 21st century. MUST SEE
Out in India, dir. Tom Keegan, 2008 USA 71 min.
Technorati tags: Out in India, Make Art Stop AIDS, Frameline32, LGBT Film
yeah. i saw this movie last year. It was one of the higlights of the festival
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