A unique record of the HIV and AIDS epidemic

The archive contains films describing the global impact of the HIV and AIDS epidemic from the 1980s to the present.

Face of AIDS - timeline

Remembering 1981 - learnings from the past

It´s 40 years since the CDC bulletin MMWR described cases of a rare lung infection in five gay men in Los Angeles. This was the first official report of what would become known as AIDS.

What reactions did the first reports of a strange, new disease generate? What can we learn from the past to meet the challenges of the future? In the theme, Remembering 1981 - learnings from the past, we have collected film clips from the archive, documentaries and essays on the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

Theme image - remembering 1981

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Samples from the archive

00:07:13

Introduction to The Face of AIDS Film Archive

This is a short film introducing The Face of AIDS Film Archive. It contains clips from the archive, information about the origins of the archive and future plans.
00:16:35

AIDS - Föreställningar om en verklighet

"AIDS – Metaphor and Reality" is the very first Face of AIDS documentary from 1986, experts as well as people living with HIV and AIDS speak about stigma. The main message of this film is that AIDS is a worldwide issue which concerns everyone regardless of their sexual preferences.
00:37:00

From Stigma to Hope

Staffan Hildebrand looks back on his 25 years of documenting the HIV and AIDS epidemic for the Face of AIDS Film Archive. The film portrays a shift from pessimism towards a growing optimism in the response to HIV and AIDS.
01:00:00

Transmission

Staffan Hildebrand returns to Australia, where he started his project of documenting the AIDS epidemic in 1988, and to Cambodia where he first arrived in 1998. He interviews some of the scientists and activists who he met back then and displays some footage from the archive.

As parts of the Face of AIDS Film Archive are being made available online, we have found it necessary to anonymize some of the participants. This may apply to children, people in vulnerable situations, and people who risk persecution in their home countries. If you appear in any of the films presented at this site and you want the content or personal information to be removed, please contact us.