How To Survive a Plague

A film by David France

Unbridled death, political indifference, and staggering resilience

Faced with their own mortality, an improbable group of mostly HIV-positive young men and women broke the mold as radical warriors taking on Washington and the medical establishment. HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE is the story of how activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.

Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time. With unfettered access to a treasure trove of never-before-seen archival footage from the 1980s and ’90s, filmmaker David France puts the viewer smack in the middle of the controversial actions, the heated meetings, the heartbreaking failures, and the exultant breakthroughs of heroes in the making.

Blisteringly powerful, HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE transports us back to a vital time of unbridled death, political indifference, and staggering resilience and constructs a commanding archetype for activism today.

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Director

David France

Producer

David France and Howard Gertler

Runtime

110 & 85 minutes

Rights Represented

Educational Rights, International Rights

Captions Available

English

Language

English

Press

“Riveting…moving and essential.”

- Bruce Diones, The New Yorker

“Words like ‘important’ and ‘inspiring’ tend too often to be meaninglessly attached to non-fiction filmmaking, but in the case of David France’s compelling snapshot of a revolutionary period in AIDS treatment, they are amply justified… An epic celebration of heroism and tenacity, and less directly, a useful template for any fledgling activist movement, demonstrating the effectiveness of inside/outside strategy.”

- David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

“Rigorous, impassioned, and powerful-as-hell.”

- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
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Festival & Awards

Official Selection—SUNDANCE Film Festival
Official Selection—SILVERDOCS Film Festival
Winner
Best Documentary—GOTHAM INDEPENDENT Film Award

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Film Licensing

We distribute films globally but we only hold the rights in particular territories in some cases.

Letting us know what type of group you are will help us get you set up with the right type of license. If you do not fall squarely into one of these categories, select “individual” or contact us at screenings@rocofilms.com.

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  • In-person screening: This license includes the public performance rights required to host a screening for your group and a DVD copy of the film
  • Virtual screening: A link and code that are available for a single 72 hour period
  • Streaming subscriptions: Ongoing streaming access for an institution provided by our partner, Film Platform.  Please note it takes 3-5 business days to get your streaming access set up.  Questions about your set-up – contact setup@filmplatform.net.
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How To Survive a Plague

Unbridled death, political indifference, and staggering resilience

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