MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

30 June 2014 – for immediate release

In the lead-up to AIDS 2014, ten powerful thought-provoking films from seven countries over three

days (18, 19 and 21 July 2014) will outrage Melbourne film-goers by exploring how laws and

policies aimed at controlling, punishing or disempowering specific groups of people living with, or

at risk of HIV, harms not only human rights, but also the broader response to the HIV epidemic.

Curated by international HIV activist Edwin Bernard, Co-ordinator of the HIV Justice Network, the

Outrage HIV Justice Film Festival is presented in partnership with ACMI (Australian Centre for the

Moving Image), Victorian AIDS Council and Living Positive Victoria. The Outrage HIV Justice Film

Festival includes four themed sessions: Women’s Injustices; Challenging HIV Criminalisaton;

Australian Responses to HIV Injustices; and Activism Against HIV Injustices.

"As the AIDS 2014 'Melbourne Declaration' shines a spotlight on HIV injustices at the conference,

the Outrage HIV Justice Film Festival's films, director Q&As, and panel discussions, will reveal the

real stories behind the stigmatising mainstream media headlines, hopefully changing hearts and

minds so that people understand why it's important to advocate for change,” says the festival's

curator, Edwin Bernard, whose HIV Justice Network campaigns for an end to inappropriate uses of

criminal laws to regulate and punish people living with HIV.

The Outrage HIV Justice Film Festival includes films never seen before in Australia and visits

countries as diverse as Canada and Cambodia.

“I hope that the sophisticated Melbourne cinema audience will be interested in challenging

themselves to learn more about the forced HIV testing and imprisonment of a group of

disenfranchised women in Greece, whose were scapegoated by a cynical government trying to

win votes in the 2012 election (in Zoe Mavroudi's 'Ruins: Chronicle of an HIV Witch-Hunt') or the

harrowing impact of state-sponsored homophobia on the lives gay men and women in Jamaica (in

Micah Fink's 'The Abominable Crime')," says Edwin Bernard.

"After each screening we'll also be hearing from the film-makers themselves, many of whom are

coming to Melbourne to talk about why they were outraged enough by these HIV injustices to

make these films,” notes Bernard, whose own film 'More Harm Than Good' is showing alongside

three other short films that explore why a criminal justice approach to HIV prevention is hurting the

HIV response.

“The moving image is a powerful expression of human experience. Through a diversity of

perspectives, opinion, ideas, stories and images, the moving image helps us make sense of

ourselves and our world through dynamic social, cultural and creative exchange. We’re delighted

to have worked with our partners to present a compelling program of cinema and talks focused on

such a critical and important issue”. Helen Simondson, ACMI Public Programs Manager.

"This festival will, for the first time in Melbourne, bring together activist voices from around the

world showing powerful work that highlights the injustice of HIV related discrimination," says

Simon Ruth, Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian AIDS Council. "Through documentary and

drama, the diversity of the films is compelling, moving and ultimately inspiring.”

Punitive laws and policies aimed at controlling, punishing or disempowering specific groups of

people living with, or at risk of HIV, is a hot topic and central theme of AIDS 2014, the much

anticipated meeting of the International AIDS Society and largest international conference ever to

be held in Melbourne.

“HIV justice is a key issue for people living with HIV in Melbourne as it is in many places around

the world where even worse laws exist. Victoria still has punitive laws in place that we are fighting

to have repealed. Outrage HIV Justice Film Festival takes advantage of AIDS 2014 to bring

broader awareness of the damaging impact of unfair laws about HIV,” says Brent Alan, Executive

Officer of Living Positive Victoria. “I hope as many Victorians as possible take advantage of the

marvelous program Edwin has curated to be presented in Melbourne’s home of cinema, ACMI.”

For more information and bookings visit www.outragefilmfestival.com.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Want help reporting on HIV in Australia? See www.hivmediaguide.org.au for more information.

For information on Edwin Bernard see www.edwinjbernard.com. For interview requests please

contact Daniel Brace, Communications Coordinator for Living Positive Victoria on 0412 806 034.

AIDS 2014 is the world’s largest meeting of the world’s top AIDS researchers, community leaders,

people living with HIV and policy-makers scientists, researchers, policy makers and community

organized by the International AIDS Society being held in Melbourne, 20-25 July 2014. President

Bill Clinton, founder of the Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, UNAIDS

Executive Director Michel Sidibé and artist and activist Sir Bob Geldof will be among the high-level

speakers present. See www.aids2014.org.au.

The Melbourne Declaration focuses on the need to address multiple legal barriers in the global

HIV response, in order “to defeat HIV and achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment,

care and support”. In line with the 2012 Oslo Declaration on HIV Criminalisation, co-ordinated by

the HIV Justice Network, it explicitly states that “nobody should be criminalized because they are

living with HIV.” And elsewhere the Declaration “expresses concern at the continued enforcement

of discriminatory, stigmatizing, criminalizing and harmful laws which lead to policies and practices

that increase vulnerability to HIV.” The Melbourne Declaration can be found here:

http://www.aids2014.org/declaration.aspx.