United in Anger: A History of ACT UP is an inspiring documentary about the birth and life of the AIDS activist movement from the perspective of the people in the trenches fighting the epidemic. Utilizing oral histories of members of ACT UP, as well as rare archival footage, the film depicts the efforts of ACT UP as it battles corporate greed, social indifference, and government neglect.
UNITED IN ANGER: A HISTORY OF ACT UP is a unique feature-length documentary that combines startling archival footage that puts the audience on the ground with the activists and the remarkably insightful interviews from the ACT UP Oral History Project to explore ACT UP (the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) from a grassroots perspective – how a small group of men and women of all races and classes, came together to change the world and save each other’s lives.
The film takes the viewer through the planning and execution of a half dozen exhilarating major actions including Seize Control of the FDA, Stop the Church, and Day of Desperation, with a timeline of many of the other zaps and actions that forced the U.S. government and mainstream media to deal with the AIDS crisis. UNITED IN ANGER reveals the group’s complex culture – meetings, affinity groups, and approaches to civil disobedience mingle with profound grief, sexiness, and the incredible energy of ACT UP.
For more information on Jim Hubbard’s other films, go to https://www.jimhubbardfilms.com/
For more information on the ACT UP Oral History Project, go to http://actuporalhistory.org/
UNITED IN ANGER: A HISTORY OF ACT UP had its World Premiere at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as the Opening Night Film of Documentary Fortnight on February 16, 2012.
It has played at over 60 film festivals including Hot Docs, Rio de Janeiro International, Houston Cinema Arts, Cleveland International, San Francisco LGBT Film Festival, Outfest, MIX Brasil, Kashish: Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, MediaImpact: 2nd International Festival of Activist Art (Moscow), and BFI Flare. It has screened at over 30 museums worldwide including the Warhol Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, MUDAM (Luxembourg), the Hammer Museum, mumok (Vienna), and the Art Institute of Chicago.
The film won Best Documentary at both MIX Milano, Italy and ReelQ in Pittsburgh, PA.