Film shown for World AIDS Day
November 23, 2005
Note: In final line, the word “Programme” is spelled correctly.
KOKOMO, Ind.—Indiana University Kokomo students will mark World AIDS Day, December 1, with a showing of the film It’s My Party. The campus’ Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) will host the showing at 3 p.m. in the Main Building, Room 150. A post-movie discussion will be led by Julie Foltz, a case manager for individuals living in Howard County who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
Filmed in 1996, It’s My Party stars Eric Roberts as a man dying of HIV-related illness, who invites family and friends to his own “going away” celebration. An emotionally affecting drama, the 1996 film avoids “lecturing and sermonizing” about those given a death sentence by HIV, said James Berardinelli of Reelviews. “It’s My Party is a straightforward narrative that gets the message across through its drama,” wrote Berardinelli. The film also features Margaret Cho, Marlee Matlin, Gregory Harrison, Lee Grant, and Roddy McDowall. The R-rated film is 110 minutes long. Admission is free.
GSA secretary/treasurer Jeff Truelock said It’s My Party is a sobering movie because the situations it portrays are “real.”
“If there is one lesson to be learned from watching this film, it is that life is short, and we should make the most of every moment and friend that we encounter,” said Truelock, a math major from Kokomo.
The GSA is also working with the Criminal Justice Association student organization to collect aid for victims of the recent tornadoes in southwestern Indiana. Now through December 14, the two groups will accept donations of non-perishable foods, baby items, and cash donations for the American Red Cross tornado relief effort.
For information on the GSA, contact advisor Rikk Terhune in the University Division Office at rmterhun@iuk.edu.
World AIDS Day
To bring additional attention to World AIDS Day, the IU Kokomo Art Gallery will declare December 1 as “A Day Without Art.” Art Gallery Director Gregory Steel plans to drape artwork in black cloth that day and close the gallery doors.
World AIDS Day has been observed each December 1 since 1988. It is a global effort to educate about HIV and AIDS and to seek action against their devastating spread.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus known to cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). If someone is HIV-positive, it means he or she has been infected with the virus.
People infected with HIV do not have AIDS until the virus seriously damages their immune systems, making them vulnerable to a range of infections, some of which can lead to death.
HIV and AIDS Around the World
• More than 40 million people living with HIV worldwide (2.2 million children)
• 4.9 million people newly infected with HIV in 2004
• HIV is increasing fastest in East and Central Asia and Eastern Europe
• Anti-HIV drugs cost on average $300 (U.S.) per person per year
• 3.1 million people died of AIDS in 2004
• More than 25 million total AIDS deaths to date
Statistics from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, November 2005
