No Sad Songs

This article is about the documentary describing the HIV/AIDS crisis. For the Helen Reddy song, see No Sad Song.

1985 Canadian film

No Sad Songs

Directed by| Nik Sheehan
Starring| Jim Black
Catherine Hunt
Jim St. James
David Sereda
Cinematography| Paul Mitchnick
Music by| Allen Booth
David Woodhead

Production
companies

AIDS Committee of Toronto
Cell Productions

Release date

* September 1985 (1985-09) (TIFF)

Running time

| 63 minutes
Country| Canada
Language| English

No Sad Songs is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Nik Sheehan and released in 1985.[1] Billed as the first documentary film about the HIV/AIDS crisis,[2] the film explored the LGBT community's early response to the issue particularly but not exclusively through the personal testimony of Jim Black, a man with AIDS who died several months after the film's release,[3] and Catherine Hunt, the sister of another person with AIDS.[1]

Several other community figures, including musician David Sereda and HIV/AIDS activist Jim St. James, also appear in smaller capacities in the film.

The film was produced by Cell Productions in conjunction with the AIDS Committee of Toronto.[4] Through much of the film and in the original promotional poster, Black wore a "Choose Life" T-shirt by artist Katharine Hamnett;[4] however, during the time between the film's production and its release, Christian evangelist Ken Campbell had registered "Choose Life Canada" as the name of an anti-abortion lobby group, and the AIDS Committee faced controversy when it chose to withdraw the posters rather than risk having them misconstrued as an endorsement of Campbell.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "AIDS film defines one man's courage". Toronto Star, October 16, 1985.
2. ^ "Celebrating to the max". The Globe and Mail, September 13, 1985.
3. ^ "Jim Black, 37 described battle against AIDS". Toronto Star, May 10, 1986.
4. ^ a b c "AIDS committee withdraws poster and upsets artist". Toronto Star, June 23, 1985.

## External links

[edit]

* No Sad Songs at IMDb

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