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.

Samples 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.