Together

Touching ‘making of’ film about the silence that blankets HIV and AIDS in China. Gu Changwei, winner of the Silver Bear at the 2005 Berlinale, is filming a forbidden book about patients who have faced discrimination. Movies that Matter Festival veteran Zhao Liang gives us an intriguing glimpse behind the scenes and tries to contact HIV-positive people in China via internet.

Ignorance about HIV and AIDS is rife in China. Many people associate the disease with indecent behaviour and hardly anyone talks about it. Fear of social stigmas inspires many AIDS patients in China to keep their illness a secret. Director Gu Changwei wanted to cast real-life patients in the supporting roles for his new feature film, The Woman. Through special support groups, the filmmakers contacted patients willing to take part in the film. The director also visited a ‘Red Ribbon’ school attended by children who have AIDS. The result is a candid portrait of people who are united and branded with the same label: AIDS patient.
Director Gu Changwei is one of the filmmakers interviewed in the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, about the famous Chinese artist.