XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. Dr Daria Hazuda from MSD, who has been involved in antiretroviral drug development during the past 20 years, holds a presentation. She is also interviewed about leadership and the progress of ARV and vaccine development.

French virologist and Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier reflects on the discovery of HIV, discusses disappointments and lessons learned along the way and the possibility of a vaccine, and gives advice for future AIDS researchers.

Luc Montagnier talks about the complex virology of HIV which makes the AIDS vaccine development so difficult. He also talks about the economic and cultural advantages of using traditional medicine as a part of the ARV therapy in developing countries.

The primary focus of this documentary is on the history of how the AIDS epidemic started in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York in 1981. Many different stories are told about people affected or surrounded by HIV and AIDS in the early years of the epidemic.

Dr Luc Montagnier and Dr Lars Olof Kallings in Montagnier’s office and laboratory at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. They talk about the HIV virus and the difficulties and possibilities of finding effective antiretroviral drug combinatoions in the future.