Asha Kirana: Working With Angels

Asha Kirana: Working with Angels is a documentary about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Southern India and how one hospital has taken the lead in giving their patients, especially children, a better quality of life. The documentary film uses the story of one hospital and the doctors working there to illustrate a larger problem with the treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS in India. The goal of this film is to start a conversation about how India can help to destigmatize HIV/AIDS. The film uses a positive message of education, hope and passion to show how doctors and patients in India have already begun to reverse the stigma surrounding HIV in their community and how they hope to expand their efforts in the future. This project includes a written methodology explaining the goals for the film which include: showing how infected women and children in India are perceived, how important counseling is for a person with a terminal illness and how important education is in de-stigmatization of HIV/AIDS. The methodology also explains the current situation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India, the inspiration behind the film and the ways in which this film can create social change in India. The entire process of creating this documentary is also explained in a first-person narrative from the filmmaker. This gives insight into the filming process, immersion into another culture, how sources were cultivated, how interviews were conducted, restrictions and obstacles during the filming process, how those issues were overcome and the filmmaker's personal reflections.