In honor of World AIDS Day, MAC invited media and guests to the debut screening in Malaysia of It’s Not Over at TGV 1 Utama, a feature length documentary film made possible by the MAC AIDS Fund, the charitable arm of MAC Cosmetics. The documentary is now available worldwide on Netflix and SnagFilms. It offers a global perspective of how young people today are facing the challenges of HIV.
Viewed from the perspective of renowned filmmaker Andrew Jenks, It’s Not Over tells the story of three young people from different parts of the world who are living with or affected by HIV in vastly different, yet astonishingly inter-connected ways. Jenks visits India, South Africa and the United States to experience the epidemic first hand.
Viewers will be taken on a journey travelling all over the world with Andrew Jenks, to put a face on the AIDS epidemic. Partnering with 3 courageous young people, Andrew works to humanize the issue as they show us an inside look at how their lives are affected by HIV as well as the lives of those around them.
In America, Andrew meets Paige Rawl, a college freshman in Indiana who has been living with HIV her entire life. After years of batting the harsh stigma and depression, she turned everything around to become a powerful advocate for fighting the disease from dance marathons at her university to supporting other children impacted by the disease. Andrew meets Paige at the dance marathon in her university and takes off with Paige and her 2 room-mates for an impromptu road trip.
In India, Jenks meets Sarang Bhakre, a Mumbai playwright who is openly gay in a country that outlaws homosexuality. Sarang’s current play addresses gay marriage and Andrew is along for the ride from rehearsal to debut, witnessing the courage and bravery it takes Sarang to face these issues. While in India, Andrew also meets Sarang’s boyfriend, witnesses the personal stories of HIV+ orphans and experiences the staggering poverty of the infamous Falkland Road. I thought Sarang’s story the most poignant and memorable of the 3 people Andrew interviewed as it cannot be easy being a homosexual in countries where it’s considered a crime and therefore the stigma of being a homosexual exists more than in other countries. I admire Sarang’s bravery and applaud the fact that he dares to ‘come out’ and share his story with the world.
In South Africa, Andrew meets Lucky Mfundisi, a Soccer Coach and educator with Grassroot Soccer, an AIDS organization that teaches youth prevention through soccer. Lucky acts as a tour guide around Khayelitsha, the largest and fastest growing township in South Africa, with some of the highest rates of HIV in the world. As Andrew follows him to work and around his hometown, Lucky emanates an exuberance and zeal for life that is an inspiring celebration of the efforts of a single committed individual.
Netflix, the world’s largest global streaming platform, is hosting It’s Not Over for viewers worldwide and SnagFilms, a leader in high quality free film content, is making it available through its applications on Roku®, Xbox™, Sony® and more.
The subjects in the film are active with MAC AIDS Fund grantees including Humsafar, Grassroot Soccer and Camp Kindle. These partners have received grants to help fight HIV/AIDS through the MAC AIDS Fund, which raises funds exclusively through the sale of MAC’s VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass. MAC donates 100% of the sale price to fight the AIDS epidemic and has raised more than USD340 million to date.
For more information on the film, including cast biographies, grantee overviews, exclusive clips and ways to get involved, please visit www.itsnotoverfilm.com
Thank you for such a details description of the film!