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.

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.

This film tells the US story of the AIDS epidemic starting in the early 1980's. Scientists and activists, both pioneers and youths of today, talk about research, prevention, treatment and care. They also discuss stigma, homophobia and poverty as closely related to HIV and AIDS.

Annual HIV research conference arranged by IHV. Dr Robert Gallo holds a lecture on the history of medical research on human retroviruses. He also talks about the early discoveries of t-cell leukemia in Japanese patients, which led to the discovery of HTLV-1.

Marc Girard who is the general director of the Mérieux Foundation, talks about Cent Gardes and the collaboration between France and the USA, mainly represented by the Pasteur Institute and NIH, and about why HIV is such a complicated virus to find a vaccine for.

Dr Robert C Gallo talks about the importance of yearly AIDS congresses. He also talks about the scientific community before and during the AIDS epidemic, and puts the disease outbreak into a sociological context.

Opening of the Cent Gardes Conference in Annecy in 2002. Speeches by the Director of Fondation Mérieux, Alain Mérieux, and participants from other institutions working on HIV vaccines. The film maker Staffan Hildebrand holds a speech about Face of AIDS.

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 Robert Gallo is interviewed in the laboratory about the HIV virus and his ongoing work. He also talks with his team and discusses the question of international collaboration with Lars Olof Kallings. He answers questions about HIV and AIDS, drugs and promiscuity.