Some of the world's best television programmes and films on HIV/AIDS will be showcased at 2004 AIDS Film Festival to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 12 to 15 July.

The film festival is a highlight of the Silabha Art and Cultural Programme of the XV International AIDS Conference (IAC 2004), being held in the Thai capital from July 11 to 16. The conference is organised by the International AIDS Society, in partnership with the Thai Ministry of Public Health.

The festival itself is co-organised by TVE Asia Pacific and the Silabha Art and Cultural Programme of the IAC 2004 Secretariat, in collaboration with Apex International Entertainment Co Ltd., and Goethe Institut Bangkok.

The event has received financial or material support from Canon, Novib - Oxfam Netherlands, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - East Asia and Pacific Regional Office and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP).

Nearly 40 titles have been selected from among over 100 entries received from all geographical regions of the world, representing a broad range of issues, themes, formats and perspectives. These cover a variety of formats -- documentaries, docu-drama, current affairs programming, entertainment formats (music, animation, single episode or serial dramas) and public service announcements or television spots.

Click here for festival aims and objectives.

All films screened at the festival will be in English. Several selected productions were made in other languages, but have either English sub-titles or voice-overs. The line-up includes both high budget productions made for broadcast television as well as educational and instructional films made for non-broadcast use.

A number of new productions just made the deadline, and will have their global or Asian premiere taking place at this film festival.

Screenings will be held at three venues as a parallel event of the year's biggest international gathering on HIV/AIDS.

• At the venue of the conference, the IMPACTConvention Centre in Muang Thong Thani, daily screenings will start at 1 p.m. and continue until evening every day from July 12 to 15 inclusive. See schedule.
• The Lido cinema at Siam Square, Bangkok (Phone: 02 2528 476) will have screenings every evening from July 13 to 15 inclusive. See schedule.
• At the Goethe Institut (Soi Attakarnprasit, Sathorn Rd Soi 1, Bangkok; Phone: 02 2870 9424), there will be daily cultural events on different aspects of HIV/AIDS every evening from July 12 to 17 inclusive. See schedule.

Screenings at the two city venues is intended to engage the Thai public, while screenings at IMPACT Centre will mainly cater to the over 8,000 delegates expected to attend multiple sessions and parallel events of the conference. The conference theme is Access for All, reflecting the need for all groups to have access to all resources that have been developed after 20 years of coping with HIV/AIDS. The conference links community and science to galvanise the world's response to HIV/AIDS through increased commitment, leadership and accountability.

Film selection process

The festival was announced in late April 2004 through an open call for entries from anywhere in the world. The festival solicited audio-visual creations originally produced in television, video, cinema or digital media, in any educational or entertainment format. The only requirement was that these productions had, as a central theme, any aspect of HIV/AIDS. This allowed for a wide scope, ranging from medical, health and scientific aspects to sociological, economic, cultural and human rights aspects -- and any other angle or dimension of the global pandemic that has now become a major development challenge.

Short-listing and selection of films took place during early and mid June 2004 by TVE Asia Pacific's team in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the IAC 2004 Cultural Programme team in Bangkok, Thailand. Television and film professionals with many years of international experience, as well as development journalists, were involved in the selection process.

Click here for criteria used to select film entries for the festival.

	Statement by film festival organisers Films to be screened at this festival are ample evidence that television and film professionals round the world are increasingly covering HIV as a major development concern of our times. The AIDS epidemic is a magnifying glass which puts the socio-economic, cultural and political roots of international development into sharp focus. HIV/AIDS highlights the exploitation of women, their low status, the trafficking of young girls. It magnifies the vast crisis of illiteracy. It exposes the economic crisis and unemployment that turns youth into drug addicts, and it reveals the explosive spread of injecting drug use in many countries. We as organisers were delighted with the response to our open call for film entries. Our teams in Colombo and Bangkok have worked very hard to ensure that all arrangements and communications were carried out professionally, methodically and on schedule. We are grateful for the support of our partners, sponsors (mentioned elsewhere) and volunteers. These productions indicate the range of audio-visual materials available for those engaged in prevention, care, advocacy and activist aspects of HIV/AIDS. These are tools and resources that can help strengthen our fight against HIV. We hope that this festival will demonstrate the power of moving images to move people to take action.