Belinda

Film Description

“To the extent that I’ve made a contribution, it’s been to have people realize that AIDS is about all of us. It’s not really about gay white men or IV drug users or babies. It’s not about certain groups. It’s about all of us, really, and it always was.” — Belinda Mason A native of Eastern Kentucky, Belinda Mason was, as she says, “a small town journalist, a young mother, a reliable Tupperware party guest” until she became infected with the HIV virus in 1987. She decided to go public with her condition and spent the rest of her life as a powerful advocate for AIDS prevention, education, treatment, and human rights. The film features Belinda talking about her own experiences dealing with AIDS and the support she found within her rural community, and it includes a presentation she made with her pastor to members of the Southern Baptist Convention: “People ask me if I think AIDS is a punishment from God. I can’t pretend to fathom what God is thinking, but maybe we should look at AIDS as a test, not for the people who are infected, but for the rest of us.” Funny, down to earth, and never self-pitying, Belinda speaks with a moving eloquence of our need for a collective response to AIDS that is not crippled by racism, homophobia, fear, or ignorance.

Screenings & Festivals

• CINE Golden Eagle Award
• New York Film Festival
• Big Muddy Film Festival
• Women in the Director's Chair