AUSTIN, Texas—HBO, in partnership with the LBJ School of Public Affairs’ Center for Health and Social Policy, will host a free screening of HBO Films’ “Yesterday” at Dobie Theater at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars this year, “Yesterday” is set in contemporary South Africa, 10 years after the arrival of democracy. The film is a story of courage, compassion and hope that puts a human face on the AIDS crisis, following the struggles of a young mother with AIDS as she tries to secure her daughter’s future.
“Yesterday” was shot on location in South Africa and is the first major feature film intended for international release to be shot completely in the Zulu language. Produced by Anant Singh and Helena Spring, the film was written and directed by acclaimed director Darrell James Root and stars Leleti Khumalo of “Sarafina!”
The groundbreaking film has received praise from Nelson Mandela, whose foundation provided support for the production, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Oprah Winfrey.
“We at the Nelson Mandela Foundation are proud to be associated with ‘Yesterday,’ which we saw as a very simple, yet powerful story,” said Mandela. “In our fight against HIV/AIDS, we need these kinds of stories which tell us not only about challenges, about difficulties and the tragedies but also, at the same time, those that tell us about hope, and “Yesterday” is about hope.”
Free and open to the public, the Austin screening of “Yesterday” will be followed by a discussion on international and local issues surrounding AIDS led by Professor Mercedes Lynn de Uriarte of The University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism, formerly with the Los Angeles Times, and Priscilla Hale, licensed master social worker and interim director of Allgo.
Theater doors open at 5:30 p.m. with complimentary popcorn and soda. The first 100 guests will receive CDs benefiting Keep a Child Alive, an organization that provides medicine and support to children and families with HIV/AIDS in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
Seating is limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. Dobie Theatre is at 2021 Guadalupe Street. For additional information, call 512-471-8954 or 972-450-1028.
For more information contact: Megan Scarborough, LBJ School of Public Affairs, 512-471-8954.
