HBO will premiere The Battle of amfAR, a short (around 40 minutes) documentary from filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, on Dec. 2. The longtime Oscar-winning collaborators have an impressive resume, which includes Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, which told the personal stories of several contributors to the AIDS Memorial Quilt. They also documented the history of gay men impacted by the Holocaust in the disturbing, unforgettable film Paragraph 175.
The Battle of amfAR, which will air in a special sneak preview on HBO 2 on Dec. 1 in conjunction with World AIDS Day, chronicles the story of how Dr. Mathilde Krim, a brilliant, European-born scientist, found an unlikely ally during the worst years of the HIV epidemic: movie star Elizabeth Taylor. Together they co-founded amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
Dame Liz took no prisoners. In a 1980s speech included in the film, she publicly accused the US government of premeditated murder for its refusal to respond to the crisis. Taylor was moved to join the fight after Rock Hudson, her longtime friend and co-star, succumbed to AIDS in 1985.
"I was made so aware of this huge, loud silence regarding AIDS," Taylor said. "Then I said: Bitch! Do something yourself!"
The filmmakers expressed their adoration for Taylor. "Having been around at the time, we were aware of Taylor's early and irrepressible commitment to the issue," they said in an e-mail to the B.A.R. "But neither of us had seen her in action. In the film you can see her bring all her star power, her passion, and her sex appeal to the fight against AIDS that is deeply moving and touching. She really did effect meaningful change in the way AIDS was perceived and addressed at a time when most other public figures were silent."
As the film begins, news reports from the early 1980s are seen. A strange new disease is killing gay men. They die quickly and horribly, wasting away in a matter of weeks. As the administration of then-President Ronald Reagan looks the other way, Dr. Krim and Taylor begin rallying the troops, raising crucial funds for research and treatment.
Sally Morrison, an amfAR staffer, recalls a postal employee who was afraid to deliver the mail to amfAR's office out of fear of contracting the disease.
Krim, meanwhile, spent much of her time in the lab. By the mid-1990s, AIDS had become somewhat manageable. The filmmakers wisely point out that the crisis is far from over.
"I have a manageable chronic condition, as long as I take pills every day," journalist Regan Hoffman says in the film. "Those pills are not without side effects. I would love a life without pills. I would love a life without AIDS."
"One of the reasons we wanted to make the film is to remind people," said Friedman and Epstein. "Especially young people who are not familiar with the early years of the AIDS crisis. As Woody Allen says in the film, there's a pervading complacency and a sense that it's all being taken care of, which is affecting behavior in all sorts of ways. We have to acknowledge that HIV still exists, still needs to be discussed, and still needs to be conquered."
Elizabeth Taylor died on March 23, 2011. Dr. Mathilde Krim continues the fight. Over 30 million people have died from AIDS.
The Battle of amfAR will be available for online and on-demand viewing after the Dec. 1 and 2 airings. There will be many other HBO airings throughout December. www.hbo.com