WASHINGTON (July 23, 2012) – Women, youth and healthcare disparities are among the HIV community topics that will be discussed at screenings of the documentary film The Other City, sponsored by Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP, at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) being held here this week.
The free screenings and discussions are open to the public and will take place throughout the day on Tuesday, July 24 at the McKinley Theater at Carnegie Library as part of the AIDS 2012 Film Festival, an official Affiliated Independent Event of AIDS 2012.
The Other City, which was directed by Susan Koch and produced by Sheila C. Johnson, is a 2010 documentary that tells the stories of several people living with HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C. The film’s first-person voices reveal powerful insights on the challenges and realities faced by the District’s HIV community, many of which reflect universal challenges for people living with HIV/AIDS across the U.S.
“We are honored to screen The Other City here. It’s very fitting that AIDS 2012 is being held in Washington, D.C.,” said Sheila C. Johnson, CEO of Salamander Hospitality and Producer of The Other City. “Not only has the U.S. Congress appropriated billions of dollars to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the District also has the highest reported rates of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., comparable to or even higher than some countries in Africa.”
These screenings of The Other City have been developed to share the insights presented in the film with people at AIDS 2012. “There is so much we can learn from one another so that together we can work to end AIDS not only here in the U.S. but throughout the world,” added Johnson.
Among the people featured in the film is J’Mia Edwards, who is living with AIDS. For this single mother of three young children, the issue of housing is a daily struggle as she is shown fighting desperately to find a place for her family to live.
Also profiled is José Ramirez, who contracted HIV at 17 from a partner who did not disclose his HIV status. The film follows José’s path from that diagnosis and shows how he now devotes his life to educating Latino youth.
And at Joseph’s House, a hospice in Washington, D.C., the film provides a personal glimpse into how the staff strives to provide companionship, solace and services to people dying of AIDS in the face of declining funding and a growing waiting list for those needing their help.
Individuals from the film will bring these issues and more to life after each of the three screenings in topic-specific panel discussions and audience Q&A with other important voices from the HIV/AIDS community, including:
- Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, MD (Senior Policy & Medical Advisor, amfAR)
- Marvelyn Brown (Author & National Spokesperson)
- Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD (Assoc. Professor of Medicine, Howard University; Infectious Diseases Physician, United Medical Center, Washington, D.C.)
- Jeff Crowley (Former Director, White House Office of National AIDS Policy)
- Phill Wilson (Founder & Executive Director, Black AIDS Institute)
The three free screenings of the 90-minute film at the McKinley Theater at Carnegie Library, 801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Place will run consecutively from 11:30 a.m. through 7:45 p.m. with the following topic-specific panel discussions reflecting issues from The Other City:
- Women and HIV — 11:30 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.
- Healthcare Disparities in the HIV Community — 2:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
- Youth and HIV — 5:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
In its ongoing commitment to the HIV/AIDS community, Janssen is proud to sponsor these screenings of The Other City as part of an educational outreach initiative.
About Janssen Therapeutics
At Janssen, we are dedicated to addressing and solving some of the most important unmet medical needs of our time in HIV and other infectious diseases. Driven by our commitment to patients, we develop innovative products, services and healthcare solutions to help people throughout the world. Headquartered in Titusville, New Jersey, Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP, is one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Visit www.JanssenTherapeutics.com for more information. Follow us on Twitter at @JanssenUS.
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