Opening at the Angelika Film Center on Sep 9, We Were Here documents the coming of what was called the “Gay Plague” subsequently identified as HIV/AIDS thirty years ago this year. Illuminating profound personal and com- munity issues raised by the AIDS epidemic the film also spotlights the broad political and social
upheavals it unleashed. It offers an emotional and cathartic validation for the generation that suffered through and responded to the onset of AIDS. Extending beyond generational boundaries, the film also speaks to our inherent capacity to rise to the occasion, and to come together with love, compassion and determination.
In the Life Media presents their 20th Anniversary Red Carpet Season Premiere at the Times Center Sep 26. Join hundreds of prominent figures from across the political, ideological and cultural spectrum. They will come together to celebrate two decades of groundbreaking media that shatters stereotypes and exposes social injustice. The evening will also honor equal rights trailblazers for their unending support of the LGBT community. This year’s honorees are Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart, in recognition of his extraordinary body of work and outspoken support of LGBT rights; and ABSOLUT Vodka, one of the first consumer brands to openly embrace the LGBT community.
Don’t miss the sneak preview of The Strange History of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell on HBO, airing at the exact moment the law’s repeal goes into effect. A timely and historical look at the legacy of gays and lesbians in the military, the film illustrates the tumultuous evolution of the controversial policy that fostered hate and intolerance within the military—and undermined the very freedoms American forces defend—by forcing many soldiers to lie and live in secrecy. Filmed during the final 15 months of the law, the film interweaves archival news footage and interviews with key players examining the consequences of the policy and the fight to overturn it, a battle that would last 17 years, span three presidencies and result in the discharge of 13,368 active service members. Celebrate the victory at midnight Sep 19.
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