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Published on November 28, 2007

In the new documentary "Ya-jai Khon Jon" ("Medicine, Moral Support and the Poor"), Kamol Uppakaew talks openly about the current situation of people living with HIV/Aids and expresses his disgust at the drug patents on the medications used to treat the disease.

In another scene, he takes to the streets of Chiang Mai along with dozens of fellow-HIV sufferers to show his anger at the US-Thai Free Trade Agreement. The documentary, which was made by amateur filmmakers Wanussanun Jangsawan and Sithipun Purkpun, recently won the top prize at Bangkok's annual "Staying Positive" short-film competition.

Organised by the Aids Access Foundation, the competition's aim is not just to raise awareness about wider Aids/HIV issues, but also to create a better understanding of, and more tolerance towards, those infected with the virus. The filmmakers are also beneficiaries of this new awareness, giving them the tools to better spread the word thereafter.

"People don't think Aids can be treated," says Sangsiri Teemanka, a member of the foundation's advocacy team. "Even today, there's a misconception that everyone infected with the virus will die instantly."

Other important messages the foundation is trying to get across include that HIV is most often transmitted by unsafe sex; that there are no risk groups, only risk behaviours; and that infected people can live normal lives, the only difference being that they have to take medication.

"We never talk about HIV/Aids in a straightforward way in this country because we can't discuss sex openly," says Sangsiri, who launched the short-film competition three years ago, hoping the titles it produced would speak to viewers more directly.

Organised in conjunction with Path, a non-governmental organisation that provides sex-and-relationship education to teens, the competition kicked off with a workshop on filmmaking and a session focusing on HIV/Aids. Fourteen titles were then selected to be turned into films by people from three categories - amateurs, professionals and those living with the disease. The finished documentaries were screened publicly at Century Movie Plaza late last month.

The professionals are Panu Aree, Thunsaka Pansittivorakul and Nontawat Numbenchapol. Panu's "The Conversation" portrays the relationship between a help-line volunteer and the callers on the end of the phone, while "Love Is Our Destination" by Thunsaka and Nontawat tackles issues of discrimination against HIV/Aids sufferers.

Freelance filmmaker Ratchapon Kanjanakama, who has been working with people with HIV/Aids for the past decade in the North, roped in 10 youngsters living with HIV to make "Nueng One Kab Cheewit Buag" ("One Day in a Positive Life"). Guided by Ratchapon, the teens worked out both the script and the shooting schedule for themselves.

The documentary follows the movements of four of the teens from the time they wake until they go to bed. Viewers watch them exercising, talking about girlfriends or boyfriends and going through career training. The simple activities show their dreams are no different from those of other young people.

"These teenagers simply wanted to show that they also think about relationships, having boyfriends and girlfriends, like everyone else," says Ratchapon.

The judges considered "Ya-jai Khon Jon" an outstanding piece of work. While the other shorts in the amateur category tended to focus on the drama of individual struggles, the jury was struck by Kamol's determination to not just overcome physical aspects of the disease but also the social criticism, as well as his fight for fairly priced medication.

The scenes that show Kamol on a street protest are taken from news footage during last year's Thai-US FTA talks in Chiang Mai. The US demanded that Thailand extend drug patent terms, which would have made it harder for Thais - particularly the poor - to afford the medication.

Kamol also fought the government for the right to HIV medication as part of the Bt30 healthcare scheme.

Filmmaker Wanussanun says she was struck by how deeply the patent term extension affected HIV patients, especially the least privileged, to the point where they came out in their thousands to protest on the streets.

"Who would want to announce to the world that they are sero-positive?" she comments.

Wanussanun and Sithipun spent several days with Kamol, observing his activities and quickly understanding the morale-boosting role access to medication plays in the life of the underprivileged HIV sufferer.

Her film also records a small success of the protesters, the subsequent issuing by the Thai government of a compulsory licence - a WTO mechanism that allows member countries to produce patented drugs for public non-commercial use, cutting their cost from Bt10,000 to Bt1,200 a month per patient.

All the films will be screened at upcoming showings being organised by the foundation nationwide and hopefully will also be aired on cable TV, says Sangsiri.

Despite the important messages contained in the shorts and the obvious merits of "Ya-jai Khon Jon", film critic Prawit Taengaksorn sees little potential for the documentaries being picked for screening in cinemas.

But the winning team doesn't mind. Through the workshop, the one month of research and the two months of filmmaking, Wanussanun has at least learned that people with HIV/Aids can live normal and productive lives and can also fight for their rights themselves.

"I want my viewers to learn the same new perspective from my documentary," she says.

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

The Nation