United in Anger: A History of ACT UP

United in Anger: A History of ACT UP
Directed by	Jim Hubbard
Written by	Ali Cotterill, Jim Hubbard
Produced by	Jim Hubbard, Sarah Schulman
Cinematography	James Wentzy
Edited by	Ali Cotterill
Release date	June 6, 2012 (2012-06-06)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

United in Anger: A History of ACT UP is a 2012 documentary film directed by Jim Hubbard and produced by Hubbard and Sarah Schulman about the beginning and progress of the AIDS activist movement from the perspective of the people fighting the epidemic. Archival footage with oral histories of members of ACT UP depicts the history of civil disobedience against corporate greed, social indifference, and government negligence in the face of AIDS. The film captures the efforts of ACT UP to remove the stigma associated with AIDS, push the prioritization of experimental drug research and testing, and provide a context for the devastating effects of the epidemic. The film includes several actions by ACT UP: Seize Control of the FDA,^[1] Stop the Church,^[2] and Day of Desperation.^[3]

Synopsis

HIV arrives in the United States. People, mostly gay men, start dying. The US government ignores it.^[4] The Church condemns homosexuals.^[5] The pharmaceutical industry produces expensive drugs. People keep dying.^[6] Love, grief and outrage lead to the formation of ACT UP in March 1987. United in Anger: A History of ACT UP documents ACT UP's use of direct activism, civil disobedience, inroads and outroads to raise awareness and affect change on a national level.

Cast

• David Barr - himself
• Ken Bing - himself
• Gregg Bordowitz - himself
• Jim Eigo - himself (AIDS activist)
• Avram Finkelstein - himself
• Tom Kalin - himself
• Larry Kramer - himself (archive footage)
• Patrick Moore - himself
• Michael Nesline - himself (Gran Fury founder)
• Ann Northrop - herself, (from ACT UP - New York)
• Michael Petrelis - himself
• Vito Russo - himself, Writer (archive footage)
• Michelangelo Signorile - himself
• Peter Staley - himself

See also

• How to Survive a Plague: Documentary on the history of ACT UP

References

1. "Police Arrest AIDS Protesters Blocking Access to FDA Offices". Los Angeles Times. 11 October 1988.
2. "Stop the Church Action 10 Year Anniversary". The ACT UP Historical Archive.
3. "Day of Desperation Synopsis". The ACT UP Historical Archive.
4. Plante, Hank (10 February 2011). "Reagan's Legacy". San Francisco AIDS Foundation. AIDS was first identified ... in medical journals in 1981... yet it wasn't until May 31, 1987 that President Reagan would give his first major address on AIDS.
5. DeParle, Jason (December 11, 1989). "111 Held in St. Patrick's AIDS Protest". The New York Times.
6. Boffey, Philip (January 14, 1986). "AIDS in the future: Experts say deaths will climb sharply". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-04.

External links

• Official website
• United in Anger: A History of ACT UP at IMDb
• Review: United in Anger: A History of ACT UP in Variety