Production has begun on “Commitment to Life” a new documentary that explores the fight against HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles.
Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz (“I Am Divine,” “Tab Hunter: Confidential,” and “Boulevard! A Hollywood Story”) the new feature length documentary will walk viewers through the decades of the HIV/AIDS crisis and highlight those affected by the disease.
“As a filmmaker, I have told stories about the LGBTQ+ community through the lives of some of its trailblazers. But no story has the epic sweep, heart wrenching drama, and galvanizing emotion as that of the AIDS crisis in Los Angeles,” Schwarz said in a statement.
“It’s a story of how people from all walks of life came together to show love to the sick and the dying when our own government turned its back on them. It’s a story of how we organized and built critical infrastructure to take care of and protect each other,” he said. “It’s about how BIPOC communities who were disproportionately affected demanded to be seen and created their own institutions. It’s about how members of the Hollywood community used their privilege and access to power to raise money and fight the stigma associated with AIDS.
“It’s a story that has yet to be fully told, and it’s a film that demanded to be made,” Schwarz said.
“Commitment to Life” will include first-person interviews, rare archival and activist footage, and scenes from star-studded Hollywood fundraisers. It will spotlight stories about Rock Hudson, Eazy-E, Elizabeth Taylor, David Geffen, the creation of the red ribbon (a symbol worn to show support for people living with HIV), the local ACT UP chapter and APLA Health, which initially was known as AIDS Project Los Angeles.
The documentary is set to premiere sometime in 2022; an exact release date has not been made.
View the trailer for “Commitment to Life” HERE.
