Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Evan Ross attended the 5th Annual New York AIDS Festival Gala

The actor Evan Ross attended the World AIDS Day gala event of the New York AIDS Film Festival on December 1, 2007. Ross garnered critical attention for his supporting role in the HBO film, Life Support, which was a featured film during the New York AIDS Film Festival. At the gala event, Ross was joined by other members of the industry, such as the producer Suzanne Engo, who is also the founder of the New York AIDS Film Festival; the filmmaker Wolfgang Busch; BET executive Sonya Lockett, who was among the evening's honorees; and others.


Evan Ross, cast member from the film 'Life Support' and filmmaker Wolfgang Busch at the 5th Annual New York AIDS Film Festival Gala.


Life Support, starring Queen Latifah, is based on the real life story of Andrea Williams, an HIV-positive woman. According to Wikipedia, the film premiered January 26, 2007, at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and premiered on HBO on March 10, 2007. The film featured Evan Ross in a supporting role. Life Support was nominated for 2 Emmys: Queen Latifah was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, while the film was nominated for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special.

Filmmakers Michael Eldridge, Enrique Menendez, and Wolfgang Busch discussed HIV/AIDS issues at New York University

In connection with the Fifth Annual New York AIDS Film Festival, excerpted screenings of three documentaries were presented free to the public at NYU's King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center on December 1, 2007. The first such screening was of director Michael Eldridge's film, GMHC at 25, a short documentary that takes the viewer through the harrowing first years of the AIDS/HIV crisis. The film takes the viewer from the beginning of GMHC to the agency's present -- and how we need to keep fighting AIDS/HIV today. Mr. Eldridge's story is told exclusively through first-person interviews of the men and women who have fought this pandemic for the last 25 years. Their voices weave both a hopeful and haunting look at this crisis.


The second documentary to be presented was an excerpt of Enrique Menendez's film, AboutFace. This first-person film introduces the filmmaker in his professional theatrical roles as a GI from the Vietnam War, sailor from WWII, and a student during the French revolution. We learn how he became infected. Through images of one of Enrique’s HIV pharmaceutical ads, the March on Washington, and the AIDS quilt, we learn how these battles deeply affect him. Upon HIV infection, we see how the virus has affected his body. Next, Enrique reminisces about his 40th and 30th birthday parties -- and how his medications take their toll. His desire to control is manifested in addiction.


The final documentary to be excerpted was Wolfgang Busch's documentary, How Do I Look, a decade-long community-based empowerment project about the Harlem "Ball" community. Following the screenings was a Q&A session.


Left to Right:  Michael Eldridge, director of 'GMHC Heroes and Honors,' Enrique Menendez, director of 'AboutFace,' and Wolfgang Busch, director of 'How Do I Look.'

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

World AIDS Day Screening of "How Do I Look" Documentary

On World AIDS Day 2007, the documentary How Do I Look was screened at the 15th Annual African Diaspora Film Festival at Riverside Theatre. This screening of How Do I Look was promoted with listings in Gay City News, The New York Blade, Time Out New York magazine, and NY1 Community Calendar, and the turn-out for the screening was impressive.


Before the screening began, the filmmaker and activist Wolfgang Busch and Reinaldo Barroso-Spech, a co-founder of the African Diaspora Film Festival, took a moment to pose for a photograph:


Reinaldo Barroso-Spech and Wolfgang Busch at the 15th Annual Diaspora Film Festival on World AIDS Day 2007


In connection with the World AIDS Day screening of his documentary How Do I Look, Wolfgang Busch attended the Red Ball fundraiser and awards event of the New York AIDS Film Festival. The event was co-produced by New York AIDS Film Festival founder Suzanne Engo and Brian Supler of Cement Marketing. Honored at the Red Ball were the agency Gay Mens Health Crisis (GMHC), the fashion design house Heatherette (for their collection at LIFE BALL 07), Miss Universe Riyo Mori (whose platform is AIDS), and Sonya Lockett, Vice President of Public Affairs, Black Enterntainment Television (BET).


Here is a photograph of Wolfgang Busch with Suzanne Engo:


Suzanne Engo and Wolfgang Busch at the 5th Annual New York AIDS Film Festival on World AIDS Day 2007


Here is a photograph of Wolfgang Busch with Brian Supler, a co-producer of the New York AIDS Film Festival's Red Ball event:


Brian Supler and Wolfgang Busch at the 5th Annual New York AIDS Film Festival on World AIDS Day 2007



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