As one of the first films about AIDS to be nationally televised on PBS, Living With AIDS tells the compelling story of Todd Coleman, a 22-year-old gay man with AIDS, and those who cared for him during the last weeks of his life. Todd, his lover, doctor, nurse, social worker and two volunteers reveal the human realities and the importance of practical support, friendship and unconditional love. Filmed both before and after Todd's death, Living With AIDS shows the full scope of the disease's effect on a patient and his care partners and provides a model for compassionate community response to the AIDS epidemic.
Living With AIDS was broadcast on POV, PBS's premiere showcase for independent documentaries and foreign television in 1988. It has also been screened at film festivals and cultural institutions around the world.
A central focus of the film is the community support and the unconditional love that Todd received as he grew weaker and less able to care for himself. The insight the film provides will permanently change the way you think about people with AIDS. The film should be required viewing for anyone who may come into contact with an AIDS patient, whether in a hospital, hospice, long-term care, home care or family setting. It is also appropriate for junior high, high school and college classes in which the issue of psychosocial care of AIDS patients is being addressed.
Living With AIDS was funded in part by the Louis B. Mayer Film Fellowship, the Funding Exchange, the Pioneer Fund and the Chicago Resource Center.