Inside Story

Inside Story made its North American debut to an enthusiastic audience in Silver Spring, MD on January 11, 2012. A few weeks later, the film's official world premiere took place at the 20th annual Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA.  For a full update and ongoing information, please check out our website:  www.insidestorythemovie.org. 

Check out the press release:

EXTEND FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS THROUGH FILM WITH ‘INSIDE STORY’

–Feature-Length Film Brings Together Stars, Football & Science to Educate Millions Across Sub-Saharan Africa, Makes U.S. Premiere for Washington, D.C. Audience Tonight–

(Silver Spring, Md.) – After debuting on World AIDS Day 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the nonprofit Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership will host the U.S. premiere of INSIDE STORY: THE SCIENCE OF HIV/AIDS on January 11 in Silver Spring, Maryland, joined by Ambassador Eric Goosby, United States Global AIDS Coordinator. Produced by Curious Pictures South Africa with the support of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Chevron, Discovery Communications, Access Bank, the South African Department of Trade and Industry, SEACOM and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the film reaches across class and educational boundaries through a compelling story of sports, love and ill fates to enlighten audiences about HIV/AIDS.

Directed by Rolie Nikiwe (Tsha Tsha, The Lab, Intersexions), INSIDE STORY stars Kevin Ndege Mamboleo (Changing Times) as Kalu, a gifted footballer who moves from rural Kenya to urban Johannesburg to follow his dream and support his family. His path becomes more challenging when he falls in love with the coach’s daughter, Ify (Kendra Etufunwa), and subsequently finds out he is HIV-positive.

Newcomers Mamboleo and Etufunwa (Jacob’s Cross) are joined by international stars including Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Hotel Rwanda, 24) as Kalu’s mentor and tough-as-nails coach, Fana Mokoena (Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda) as the ruthless team owner, and Regina-Re as Kalu’s mother, Miriam. INSIDE STORY also demonstrates the science of HIV in a personal, practical and memorable way, leveraging realistic CGI animations that take the viewer into the body while replacing misunderstanding with facts.

“Knowledge is power, and with INSIDE STORY we have a powerful tool with which to share the science of HIV,” said Aric Noboa, President, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership and Executive Producer, INSIDE STORY. “We were touched by the overwhelming response to the film’s premiere in South Africa last month and are grateful for the generous support of our partners. Understanding HIV/AIDS is central to making healthy decisions, complying with treatment, and ending stigma and discrimination. This is the right time for INSIDE STORY, an innovative approach to helping eradicate HIV/AIDS in Africa and beyond.”

“INSIDE STORY will be a valuable tool to inform people across Africa and the world about the science of HIV. With greater understanding of the virus people can seek to know their status, to protect themselves, and to adhere to life-saving treatment if needed,” said Ambassador Eric Goosby, United States Global AIDS Coordinator. “The global AIDS response is a shared responsibility. With strong leadership from the United States, and continued partnership from the private sector, we are seizing the opportunity the science has presented us to move toward an AIDS-free generation.”

“Chevron is proud to partner with Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership and sponsor INSIDE STORY, a powerful tool that will help demystify AIDS and communicate difficult and important messages that will resonate with a wide audience,” said Rhonda Zygocki, Executive Vice President, Policy and Planning, Chevron Corporation. “Chevron has been a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS for more than 25 years. Our commitment to HIV/AIDS outreach is powered by our partnerships with governments and nonprofit organizations around the world. One day, we'll defeat AIDS – in our workplace, in our homes, our communities and our nations,” she added.

In the coming months, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership will announce details of the comprehensive rollout of the film – including national broadcasts across sub-Saharan Africa and distribution through grassroots efforts of NGOs, schools and governments. Additionally, DCGEP will provide facilitator guides and DVD & online materials for use by community and public health organizations, as well as schools throughout Africa, to reinforce INSIDE STORY’s messages in both urban and rural communities. The trailer for the film and regular updates on the project can be found at insidestorythemovie.org and facebook.com/insidestory.

To schedule an interview with the producers, director or cast, or to request a screener and/or photography from INSIDE STORY, please email amber_harris@discovery.com.

About Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership

Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership (DCGEP) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization that for the past 14 years has been working in under-resourced schools around the world, using the power of television to increase student learning, teacher effectiveness and the community’s access to information and involvement in their children’s schools. The initiative is locally managed, and involves a collaborative process of educational video program development that combines contributions of expertise and high-quality documentary footage from Discovery with the needs of educators in countries where DCGEP is active. In addition, DCGEP provides three years of teacher training and capacity building to ensure their ability to maximize the value of educational television as a tool for teaching and learning. For more information, please visit www.thepoweroftv.org.

About PEPFAR

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the U.S. Government initiative to save the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS around the world. This historic commitment is the largest by any nation to combat a single disease internationally, and PEPFAR investments also help alleviate suffering from other diseases across the global health spectrum. PEPFAR is driven by a shared responsibility among donor and partner nations and others to make smart investments to save lives. For more information about PEPFAR, visit www.PEPFAR.gov, http://twitter.com/pepfar or www.facebook.com/PEPFAR.

– Continued –

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 142 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

About Chevron

Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

About Access Bank

Access Bank Plc is a socially responsible organization; with a clearly developed strategy for facilitating societal development and well being. The Bank is one of Africa’s pre-eminent financial services groups, and has a full banking subsidiary in the UK and all monetary zones across sub- Sahara Africa. The Bank is ranked 14th in Africa and amongst the top 500 banks in the world by tier 1 capital as at December 2010. For more information visit www.accessbankplc.com.

About SEACOM

SEACOM is a privately financed, developed and owned submarine fibre optic cable network bringing high quality, affordable broadband capacity to Africa through the sale of wholesale international bandwidth and associated services on an open-access basis since July 2009. Stretching some 17,000km along the eastern and southern African coastlines and onwards to India and Europe, the SEACOM system has already connected many African countries including South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Djibouti and Ethiopia bringing in many instances previously unavailable access to unrestricted bandwidth.

The SEACOM network offers bundled backhaul, open-access points of presence and global partnerships, to provide high quality, cost effective, end-to-end connectivity. Tiered pricing coupled with open access system integration solutions means that SEACOM has moved beyond the cable to become a major pan-African network with a full suite of IP services and unprecedented benefits for customers. SEACOM believes in a world where the African Internet experience is interconnected and characterized by abundant local content, minimal latency as well as fast download and streaming speeds. This vision is at the heart of SEACOM’s commitment to Building the African Internet. For more information, please visit www.seacom.mu.

About UNAIDS

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative United Nations partnership that leads and inspires the world in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Learn more at unaids.org.

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Links:

• http://www.insidestorythemovie.org

 INSIDE STORY: THE SCIENCE OF HIV/AIDS is a media-based initiative designed to educate the sub-Saharan African public about the basic science of HIV/AIDS. At the center of this initiative is a unique feature-length film that brings together the best of fiction and non-fiction storytelling in order to unravel the mysteries of HIV. Audiences are engaged and transported to a vibrant, inner world where hard-to-grasp science is transformed into a compelling visual reality. INSIDE STORY’s aim is to demonstrate the science of how HIV works in a personal, practical, and memorable way. Misunderstanding is replaced with facts, demystifying the virus, and motivating informed health decisions.

Purpose

At the center of many of the challenges in HIV prevention, treatment and education is a misunderstanding of the science. In addition, many organizations working at the community level confront significant HIV message fatigue. Engaging, innovative approaches are needed.

Approach

Using state-of-the-art animation, INSIDE STORY explores the dynamic inner world of the human body, revealing the unseen world of HIV. The film offers audiences an unforgettable experience – for many, a first look inside the human body, and a window into how the immune system, HIV, and antiretroviral therapies work.

Focus group testing in four countries found this illustrative approach useful across various levels of literacy and education.

Emerging from grassroots requests, stakeholder interviews, extensive research and focus group testing, INSIDE STORY was developed in collaboration with a diverse coalition of experts and activists. With no other African film or TV program currently focused on the basic science of HIV/AIDS, INSIDE STORY has a unique opportunity to powerfully answer this need and make a tremendous impact, providing stakeholders with a valuable tool to scale up education, prevention, and treatment efforts.

Story

Kalu, a young man from rural Kenya, dreams of a professional soccer career. He moves to South Africa, begins a promising relationship with the coach’s daughter and is on the verge of soccer stardom when he learns he is HIV positive.

Kalu guides us through the progression of HIV in his body from the moment of infection to the effect of antiretroviral therapy. Through stunning computer animation, audiences actually go inside Kalu, witness the moment of infection and come face-to-face with HIV. We follow Kalu’s struggles on the pitch, off the pitch and inside his body as he confronts HIV.

Distribution

A calculated distribution strategy extending over multiple years will provide the broadest reach possible throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Distribution will begin with premiere events to introduce the film to stakeholders in the struggle against HIV/AIDS, drive press and build public awareness. The World Premiere took take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 1, 2011, World AIDS Day. Our film Director, Rolie Nikiwe, Producer Harriet Gavshon, cast from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, and the US Consul General to South Africa all participated in the event. On January 11, 2012, the North American premiere will take place in Washington, D.C. at the historic AFI Silver Theater.  Ambassador Goosby, the US Global AIDS Coordinator, the African Diplomatic Corps and other public, private and NGO leaders will be in attendance.  A premiere in Lagos, Nigeria, featuring Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Pirates of the Caribbean, 24) and another in Nairobi are being developed for 2012 in conjunction with the film’s release.

We are currently in discussions with top African film distributors and exhibitors about a theatric release that will reach urban audiences, drive broadcast and grassroots audiences, and increase press coverage.

Discovery World, a pay-television network available in 47 countries in Africa and the Middle East will air the film trailer (promotional spot) and behind-the-scenes shorts, providing the project with valuable marketing at no cost. 

The film’s largest audiences will come from free-to-air national broadcasters across the subcontinent. Our partnership with MTV International will enable INSIDE STORY distribution by 29 African broadcasters with a combined reach of nearly 300 million people. Broadcasters will be provided with split audio tracks enabling them to “dub” the film into any language.

Two versions of the film – a feature length version (90min), as well as a segmented version (3x30min) – will be distributed in English, French and Portuguese through an extensive network of government, non-government and private-sector partners. Our multi-year rollout and distribution plan is also designed to reach extensively into communities and populations without easy access to television. Grassroots distribution (through DVDs) will be activated through a growing coalition of public and private-sector entities, including YouthAIDS, Grassroot Soccer, CARE, PEPFAR, USAID, Africare, FilmAid, NERCHA, National HIV Council of Zambia, and DCGEP schools in Angola, Nigeria, South Africa, and beyond. These organizations and others are eager to use the film in their on-going prevention and education activities in clinics, schools, communities, and refugee camps.

Outreach

Facilitator guides (which will serve as the DVD case) and DVD extras will be provided as a resource to community and public health organizations, NGOs, and schools in both urban and rural communities.

A dedicated Web site insidestorythemovie.org is being developed, extending the reach and impact to additional audiences. The site will include compelling, film related educational material, film trailer, the entire film itself (hosted on African soil to facilitate the best download speeds possible), a downloadable facilitator guides, links to partners and project advisors, FAQ’s, and a dynamic space where facilitators can map screening locations and share best practices.

Partners

INSIDE STORY was created through the generosity of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), USAID, Chevron, Access Bank, Discovery Communications, SEACOM, UNAIDS and in partnership with Management Sciences for Health and Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa.

Award-winning Team

INSIDE STORY is a production of Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership thepoweroftv.org a nonprofit organization with 14 years of experience developing relevant, accessible media-based programs in Africa. DCGEP’s approach is collaborative, involving both experts and grassroots community members. This initiative brings together talent from Discovery Channel, one of the world’s most trusted media brands and Curious Pictures South Africa, a leading African production company and producer of such highly regarded social dramas “Intersexions,” “Tsha Tsha,” and “Heartlines.”

Initial research integral to this initiative was conducted in partnership with the Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE), a non-profit, South African research and evaluation organization specializing in HIV/AIDS communications in Africa. Their studies included extensive literary research, focus group testing of a story treatment and script in Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Uganda. A rough edit of the film was also tested with audiences in South Africa. This research confirmed the need and utility of a science-based media tool, and has helped shape this initiative.

Key Project Advisors

INSIDE STORY has been developed in consultation with internationally renowned experts and activists from organizations such as USAID, FHI 360, Grassroot Soccer, Johns Hopkins University, Management Sciences for Health, World AIDS Campaign, World Health Organization, and UNAIDS.  

Danjuma Adamu, Mansur Tukur, Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, Nigeria, FHI

Taylor Ahlgren & Kirk Friedrick, Grassroot Soccer

Phillip Blose, University of Pretoria (student)

Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University

Lois B. Chingandu, SAfAIDS

Patrick Coleman, Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa

Clarence S. Hall, DrPH, Africare

Mitchell Warren, AVAC

Catherine Hankins, MD, Chief Scientific Advisor, UNAIDS

John Howson, MPH, RN, HIV/public health consultant

Krishna Jafa, MD, PSI

The Reverend Canon Ted Karpf, World Health Organization

Scott Kellerman, PhD, Management Sciences for Health

Kefilwe Koogotsitse, Erasmus University

Uttara Bharath Kumar, JHU - Center for Communication Programs, Zambia

Suzanne LeClerc-Madlala, USAID, OHA

Alex Margery, Tanzania National Network of People with HIV, FHI

Tim Mastro, MD, FHI

Pauline Muchina, PhD, The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS

Caroline Murbaira, Community Working Group on Health, Zimbabwe

Mwansa Njelesani, Office of United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa

Peter Okaalet, MD, MTh, MDiv, MAP International

Nina Oosthuizen, Channel E, South Africa

Bill Philbrick, CARE

Susan Plaeger, PhD, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Jeffrey T. Safrit, PhD, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Karen Shanor, PhD, psychologist

Robin Smalley, Mothers2Mothers

Carl Stecker, RN, MPH, EdD, Catholic Relief Services

Gary Svenson, PhD, USAID Southern Africa

Edmund Tramont, MD, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Marcel van Soest, World Aids Campaign

Derek von Wissel, MD, NERCHA – Swaziland

Distribution Partners

Africare

CARE

Community Working Group on Health, Zimbabwe

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

FHI 360

FilmAid International

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

GrassrootSoccer

JHHESA

Johns Hopkins University - Center for Communication Programs

Ministry of Health and Social Services, Namibia

MTV International

NERCHA – Swaziland

National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council, Zambia

PEPFAR, Lesotho

PEPFAR, Swaziland

PSI

Provincial Government of the Western Cape, South Africa

WBS TV, Uganda

World AIDS Campaign

YouthAIDS

Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation

Evaluating Impact

CADRE will conduct evaluation and monitoring over a two-year period. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods will assess INSIDE STORY’s impact on audiences’ understanding of the science of HIV/AIDS, resulting behavioral changes, as well as the impact of this tool on existing HIV interventions.