6000 A Day
An Account of a Catastrophe Foretold
By Philip Brooks

6000 A Day: An Account of a Catastrophe Foretold reveals how the world's top decision makers knowingly failed to prevent the spread of the AIDS. It examines the failure of key individuals, prominent NGO's, and governments to act as they allowed a catastrophe to fester - a catastrophe that undoubtedly could have been avoided.

Since it appeared 20 years ago, AIDS has left behind it a trail of destruction. It has already killed 30 million people, and infected another 50 million. By the end of this current decade an estimated 100 million people will have perished from this disease.

Why did the world wait so long to react? This film answers the question, and dissects the key moments in the global response to the epidemic. By examining this human catastrophe, the film reveals a global rift that helped the disease to spread.

6000 A Day: An Account of a Catastrophe Foretold is also about a virus shrouded in taboo and fantasy because of its primary means of transmission: sex. The taboo and stigma surrounding AIDS are so profound that 20 years after its emergence, people all over the world continue to deny its existence.

Key actors, including Eric Sawyer, a founder of Act Up New York, Sandra Thurman, President Clinton's AIDS advisor, Mathilde Krim, founder of AMFAR, Noerine Kaleeba, founder of TASO and a UNAIDS advisor, France's Health Minister Bernard Kouchner, Peter Piot, Director of UNAIDS and others who have lived this drama for the past twenty years, tell the story. These people come from the North and the South, from inside the pharmaceutical giants, governments and international institutions, and from the outside. They have been witness to the hopes and failures, errors and denial. They tell how those who had the power to do something did not, because of denial, ignorance, or deliberately. Or simply because there was no interest in it for them.

Supported by archives and testimonies, 6000 A Day: An Account of a Catastrophe Foretold reveals the tragic degree of indifference and ignorance with which HIV/AIDS has been dealt.

55 minutes
© 2001
Purchase $248 DVD
Order No. QA-528

Reviews
"6000 A Day is great in scope, and accomplishes the difficult feat of succinctly chronicling the worldwide reaction to the AIDS crisis since it was first isolated. The film encapsulates the international reaction, or rather the lack thereof, to the AIDS crisis since its discovery, and examines the social, political, and economic barriers that have obstructed a concerted worldwide public health response to the epidemic. Sound and video quality are both very good... An extremely well balanced investigation."—AIDS Book Review Journal

"A fascinating study of a disease and how it is being treated... an excellent addition for libraries with collections on health science, bioethics and political action."—Educational Media Reviews Online

Awards & Conference Screenings
2002 African Studies Association Film Festival
12th CISMA, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (2001)
FIPATEL Biarritz, France (2002)
2002 Amnesty International Film Festival

Related Films
Everything's Fine: Seydou Konaté is a doctor in a remote area in Mali. But he is at the center of a global issue: bringing quality health care to rural people left behind by development.

The Andre Show: The filmmaker and her adopted son, who was born with HIV, share the story of their extraordinary friendship, and of the challenges of Andre's short yet intense life.

Does Anyone Die of AIDS Anymore?: For some patients, advances in treatment have transformed HIV from a death sentence to a chronic illness, tens of thousands are still dying of AIDS in the U.S., and more will die because of ignorance and denial.

The Healers of 400 Parnassus: An examination of healthcare at its best, this is a portrait of a multidisciplinary team of professionals confronting the daily realities of caring for people with HIV/AIDS.

Undetectable: Follows the stories of six individuals from diverse backgrounds as they deal with the physical and psychological implication of new HIV drug therapies.

To rent or purchase this film, please visit the Icarus Films website

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