The One Show
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Category
Innovation & Transformation / Innovation in Film
Annual ID
OS23_FI128M
About the Work
The HIV crisis in the 80’s was focused on the disease itself. Now the disease is treatable, and stigma has become the crisis. Fear is what fuels stigma: the fear to disclose and the irrational fear of contraction.
80 % of people with HIV say they’re afraid to disclose their status for fear of being judged and rejected by friends, loved ones, and society at large. As part of our ongoing #SmashStigma campaign for Casey House, a specialty hospital for those living with HIV and AIDS, we wanted people to experience the same fear that people with HIV face every day.
We created a short horror film based on the fears and lived experiences of 6 people with HIV. After the film, viewers watched a short documentary in which each of the 6 people spoke about life as an “Other.” To enhance the fear, we premiered the film in an abandoned amusement park, immersing viewers in an experience that mimicked the horror and stigma represented in the film.
We were committed to having an HIV-positive actor play our lead character, but many actors with HIV are simply too afraid that disclosing their status will ruin their careers. After a global casting search, we found our lead and made history—the first time a professional actor living with HIV was intentionally cast to play an HIV+ lead protagonist.
The campaign garnered worldwide media attention with 300 news stories and 4 billion impressions, 22K engagements on social with a 95% positive social sentiment. The film also marks the first time in history that a professional actor living with HIV was intentionally cast to play an HIV+ lead protagonist.
After 43 years into the HIV epidemic, a community finally saw their experience authentically represented on screen.
80 % of people with HIV say they’re afraid to disclose their status for fear of being judged and rejected by friends, loved ones, and society at large. As part of our ongoing #SmashStigma campaign for Casey House, a specialty hospital for those living with HIV and AIDS, we wanted people to experience the same fear that people with HIV face every day.
We created a short horror film based on the fears and lived experiences of 6 people with HIV. After the film, viewers watched a short documentary in which each of the 6 people spoke about life as an “Other.” To enhance the fear, we premiered the film in an abandoned amusement park, immersing viewers in an experience that mimicked the horror and stigma represented in the film.
We were committed to having an HIV-positive actor play our lead character, but many actors with HIV are simply too afraid that disclosing their status will ruin their careers. After a global casting search, we found our lead and made history—the first time a professional actor living with HIV was intentionally cast to play an HIV+ lead protagonist.
The campaign garnered worldwide media attention with 300 news stories and 4 billion impressions, 22K engagements on social with a 95% positive social sentiment. The film also marks the first time in history that a professional actor living with HIV was intentionally cast to play an HIV+ lead protagonist.
After 43 years into the HIV epidemic, a community finally saw their experience authentically represented on screen.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
Bensimon Byrne / Toronto
Narrative / Toronto
Production Company
OPC / Toronto
Music / Sound Production Company
Berkeley Inc. / Toronto
Post Production Company
Button Factory / Toronto
Rooster Post / Toronto
Art Director
Amy Fernandes
Gints Bruveris
Copywriter
David Mueller
Sam Ramsay
Chief Creative Officer
Joseph Bonnici
Composer
Kyle McCrea
Creative Director
David Mueller
Gints Bruveris
Director
Paul Shkordoff
Director of Photography
Jeremy Cox
Account Director
Ashley Belfast
Agency Producer
Caroline Clarke
assistant editor
Kyle Gregory Sanderson
Audio director
Jared Keumper
Audio engineer
Jared Keumper
Marcel Hidalgo
Tyler Young
Audio Producer
Tyna Maerzke
Business Lead
Will Dell
CASTING
Powerhouse / Toronto
Casting U.K.
Martin Gibbons, CDG
Colourist
Sam Gilling
LINE PRODUCER
Jeff Chiu
Online Producer
Caroline Clarke
Transfer
Cycle Media Vancouver / Vancouver
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