Eyes on Ukraine
This program is presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive screening series Eyes on Ukraine . Learn more at cinema.ucla.edu.
In commemoration of AIDS Awareness Month (and World AIDS Day, December 1), the UCLA Film & Television Archive presents the official world premiere of Eyes on Ukraine (2025), a powerful documentary that explores the intersection of two crises — war and the HIV epidemic. Directed by Mo Stoebe and executive produced by Richard Gere, the film follows HIV-positive Ukrainian activist Yana Panfilova as she joins “Through Positive Eyes,” a global photo-storytelling project co-directed by award-winning South African photographer Gideon Mendel and the UCLA Art & Global Health Center. Part of an engrossing visual anthology that connects the power of community, art and activism in the face of a global pandemic, Eyes on Ukraine depicts the harrowing and inspiring daily struggle of young people living with HIV. Arriving at a time when the global health community is confronting historic cuts to research and support, Eyes on Ukraine looks to the resilience of a new generation, navigating survival and community through art and activism.
Preceding the film will be a short presentation looking back at the history of “Through Positive Eyes,” an initiative of MAKE ART/STOP AIDS. A post-screening panel will focus on the quickly changing landscape of HIV/AIDS funding, featuring UCLA faculty and a representative group of international “Through Positive Eyes” “artivists.”
DCP, color, 37 min. Director: Mo Stoebe. Executive Producer: Richard Gere. Producers: David Gere, Katja Kulenkampff. With: Yana Panfilova, Liza Shevchuck, Yehor Pasko.
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a division of UCLA Library, and presents its public programs in the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer, among other venues. For more information about the Archive, visit cinema.ucla.edu.
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