Robert Neill is from  IWC Media (this company has made Stephen Fry's documentary on mental health and Terry Pratchatt's on Alzheimer's).  I have been in email contact with him to promote his project, below.

"2012 is the 30th anniversary of the term AIDS being used and they want to make "a thought provoking documentary or documentary series looking at HIV and what it means today" for BBC3/channel 4 comparing how things have changed during the three decades.  They are now undertaking initial filming for the purpose of research and putting together a taster tape just for those in the company and channel commissioners from where they will secure funding.

We are currently looking at two idea's.

One is a series looking at young people with HIV today.  Naturally I am aware that this is a complex area, particularly given that few people are prepared to give up their anonymity in such a public way.  However, the only way such a series could really be achieved would be to find people who would be prepared to show their faces on camera.  It’s a big ask but I am keen to find people who are prepared to share their story of living with HIV.  The aim of this would be to enlighten viewers on how HIV has changed over the past 30 years, looking at areas such as medication, sex and pregnancy.  However, we would also be keen to highlight issues which still need to be worked on, such as education, stigma in society and issues related to keeping such large secrets.

We are interested in meeting and filming young people with HIV aged up to 25 (both perinatally and horizontally infected) and friends, family and partners who are close to them. They would be open to meeting anybody from around the UK and would be happy to come to them and meet them in an environment in which they would be comfortable.  They want to discuss a wide range of issues relevant to people with HIV today and those around them.  They would start with an initial phone discussion to ensure they were happy to take part and to discuss how they would like to be filmed (whether to camera, with face not shown etc).

For those willing to be filmed face on, IWC have produced a legal document which says that no one will be shown the footage apart from those working on it at the company and the channel commissioners.  No footage shot at this point will be used for any television broadcast.  This will be a long process, so anyone who is prepared to help in this it would be dealt with very discreetly and people would be kept up to date with all future developments in the project.
 
Our other idea is a polemic documentary driven by a figure who will argue that people have become complacent about HIV and that awareness is not where it should be.  This would look at issues such as the percentage of people in Britain with HIV who are unaware, “condom fatigue” and how fear of “demonising” people with HIV has led to rather timid awareness tactics.  There are of course a number of other issues to look at as well."

Please pass this information on to the young people and families you are working with and for those interested in being involved, please contact Robert on:
Email: robert.neill@IWCMedia.co.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)141 353 8489

We believe that this project is worth publicising widely to those who may be interested in taking part.

Please only contact IWC Media and/or Robert Neill at the contacts mentioned.

T_hCell is wholly independent of IWC media, its agents or partners. Any approach to IWC Media is of course at individuals own risk, we accept no liability.