“We thought that sex was good for you, like kale”
Short Synopsis/
Killing Patient Zero
When a new, deadly virus spreads across North America at an alarming rate, one man is singled out for bringing the disease to the continent.
Spanning the 1970s until today, the story of Gaétan Dugas – aka ‘Patient Zero’ – serves as the perfect microcosm of the evolution of AIDS in America and the country’s response to it.
In the early 1980s, little was known about this global epidemic, except that it seemed to be most prevalent amongst gay men. America was in the grip of fear and uncertainty and, in the scramble for answers, Dugas would become known and vilified as ‘Patient Zero’. Exploring timely themes about fear, the demonising of the unknown and the danger of false narratives, this Fadoo Productions and Fine Point Films documentary weaves social history and scientific investigation into a poignant story of an individual who became intrinsically and tragically linked with AIDS.
Credits/
Writer/Director: Laurie Lynd
Producers: Corey Russell
Stars: Gaëtan Dugas, John Greyson, Fran Lebowitz, B. Ruby Rich
“It was said at the time and I think it’s true, if the outbreak had occurred in the heterosexual population they would be all over it, but it was easy to marginalise gay men at the time and say, well, who cares?”
Genre/
Documentary
Duration/
100 mins
English
Release Date/
8th Mar 2021
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