Film Chronicles Foundation's Twenty-Year Battle to Eradicate Pediatric AIDS
and Create a Generation Free of HIV
Prominent photographer, television personality, and filmmaker Nigel Barker premiered his newest documentary film last evening, entitled Generation Free, about the global fight against pediatric HIV/AIDS. The film is a moving representation of Barker's time in Tanzania with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, for which he serves as a Celebrity Ambassador.
Barker premiered the documentary at a private viewing with numerous celebrities, Foundation staff, and supporters in attendance at the Sony Screening Room on Madison Avenue, generously provided by Sony Cierge.
"We had a life-changing experience in Tanzania," said Barker, who traveled to the country with Foundation staff earlier in the year. "Despite the dire straits many find themselves in because of diseases like HIV/AIDS, there is more than just hope to hold on to. Due to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation's efforts, real results are achievable."
The film follows Barker as he visits Foundation-supported sites throughout Tanzania, from urban clinics in Dar es Salaam to rural Maasai villages. He documents inspiring stories from women, children, and health care workers affected by HIV and AIDS, and captures stunning images of the people and places he encounters, all the while chronicling the Foundation's ongoing efforts to create a generation free of HIV. The film also documents the history of Elizabeth Glaser and the global foundation she created as it commemorates its 20th year.
"The Foundation is indebted to Nigel Barker for his passion and commitment in the fight against pediatric AIDS," said Foundation President and CEO Pamela W. Barnes, who attended the premiere along with Jake Glaser, Elizabeth Glaser's son. "This film shows that we have the medicines we need to eliminate AIDS in children - we just have to reach the mothers, children, and families with the prevention and treatment services they so desperately need."
Started in the U.S. 20 years ago by Elizabeth Glaser after her daughter, Ariel, died of AIDS, the Foundation now works around the world to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and provide care and treatment to children and families affected by the virus. While there are now less than 200 infants infected with HIV in the U.S. each year, more than 1,000 children are infected with HIV around the world each day. The Foundation works in 17 countries to fight the pandemic, with a strong presence in sub-Saharan Africa, where almost 90 percent of children living with HIV live.
"Tanzania is a wonderful example of how, working with national governments, other organizations, and civil society, we can make great strides in preventing new infections, saving lives, and reducing stigma," said Anja Giphart, Foundation Country Director for Tanzania, who was also present for the screening.
"Twenty years ago, Elizabeth Glaser realized there was a moment to act - a moment to change attitudes, demand action, and give a voice to parents and children living with HIV and AIDS," said Barnes. "Nigel Barker's film Generation Free invites viewers to join a new moment for action, to finish the work Elizabeth started and create a global generation that is born and lives free of HIV."
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