HBO Films' Oscar(R)-Nominated 'YESTERDAY' to Premiere at the Byron Carlyle Theater November 15

HBO Films' Oscar(R)-Nominated 'YESTERDAY' to Premiere at the Byron Carlyle Theater November 15

HBO and the Miami International Film Festival to host Florida Premiere of Dramatic Film about AIDS in Africa

Screening to be followed by conversation with HIV/AIDS educators including Dr. Marilyn Volker, university professor of sexuality, drawing parallels between AIDS in Africa and South Florida

MIAMI, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars(R) this year, the HBO Films presentation of YESTERDAY will have its Miami premiere for students of Miami Dade College and the University of Miami at 3:00 p.m. and for invited guests at 7:30 p.m., at Miami Beach's Byron Carlyle Theater, on Tuesday, November 15. The premiere of YESTERDAY, about AIDS in Africa, will be hosted by HBO and the Miami International Film Festival. YESTERDAY will debut on HBO on Monday, November 28 at 9:00 p.m. (ET).

Sanctioned by Nelson Mandela and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, YESTERDAY is the first major film for international release to be shot completely in the Zulu language. It was shot on location in the Kwazulu Natal and Gauteng in South Africa in October 2004. This dramatic film was written and directed by Darrell James Roodt, and produced by Anant Singh and Helena Spring, the creative team responsible for "Cry, the Beloved Country" and "Sarafina."

Set in contemporary South Africa 10 years after the arrival of democracy, YESTERDAY is a story of courage, compassion and hope that puts a human face on the politics and statistics of the AIDS crisis, following the struggles of a young mother named Yesterday who has been diagnosed with AIDS. Leleti Khumalo ("Sarafina") stars in the title role of the film.

Yesterday lives in Rooihoek, a remote village in South Africa's Zululand. Her everyday life is not easy: There's little money, no modern conveniences, and her husband is away in Johannesburg, working as a miner. But she possesses a sunny nature, and takes great joy in her 7-year-old daughter Beauty (Lihle Mvelase).

The precarious balance of Yesterday's life is suddenly threatened when she is diagnosed with AIDS and must journey afar to understand and confront her illness. Yesterday's primary driving force is Beauty, who is a year away from starting school. Yesterday never had the chance to go to school and she sets her sights on a single goal: to be with Beauty on her first day of class, along with all the other proud mothers.

An important factor in the rapid spread of AIDS in Africa is the tendency among many Africans to have more than one sexual partner at the same time, an activity described as "concurrency" as opposed to the "serial monogamy" more frequently practiced in Asia and the West. While "concurrency" has in part a cultural basis, it has been exacerbated by poverty, as well as the cruel history of Africa, when white settlers took the most fertile land and poor black men from the villages had to travel great distances to find work. Over these long separations, new relationships developed.

In South Africa, the situation became even direr under apartheid. The Bantu Authorities Act of 1951 created ten African "homelands," effectively making black people nonresidents of South Africa. As these "homelands" were lacking in natural resources, virtually all the village men had to leave to work elsewhere. This is vividly illustrated in the story of YESTERDAY, as Yesterday's husband leaves her to work in the mines of Johannesburg.

But the causes of AIDS in South Africa are not limited to sexual practices. "Under apartheid, everything was separate," says writer/director Singh. "They had separate health programs, separate schools, and so on. The new government is only 10 years old and they've inherited this whole legacy of migrant labor, poverty and substandard health care, which they now have to try and deal with. It's a tough challenge that South Africa, the continent and the whole world have to deal with."

AIDS is currently the leading cause of death in Africa, and 56,000 Africans die each week. Southern Africa has about 30% of the people living with HIV/AIDS, while it has less than 2% of the world's total population. The latest global reports estimate the total number of adults and children with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa as 25-28 million. That number is expected to rise to 30 to 35 million by the end of this decade. Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst infected region in the world with over 3 million new infections and over 2 million deaths in 2003. There is only one doctor for every 18,000 Africans.

The student screening at 3:00 p.m. on November 15th will be immediately followed by a conversation with prominent HIV/AIDS educators, who will discuss the disease's impact on the local community. Participants will include Dr. Marilyn Volker, university professor of human sexuality; Juan Carlos Riascos, Colombian education program coordinator at the University of Miami School of Medicine, long-term HIV survivor, and author of "En el laberinto de la esperanza: Memorias de una familia seropositiva" (In the Labyrinth of Hope: Memoirs of an HIV-Positive Family); Tania Lopez and Ronald Barnett, Care Resource HIV/AIDS educators, dealing with Hispanic communities and adolescents, respectively; and Dr. Irene Lipof, a social science professor at Miami Dade College, who will serve as moderator. This frank and straightforward discussion at the student screening, will draw parallels between AIDS in Africa and South Florida and how cultural barriers and practices, ignorance about contracting HIV, lack of protection and having multiple sexual partners are contributing to the skyrocketing figures of new HIV infections.

Prior to the 7:30 p.m. screening, Dr. Volker will also speak briefly about sexuality and HIV/AIDS.

The MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL March 3-12, 2006 brings the best of world cinema to South Florida and plays a leading role in maintaining and further enriching its film culture. MIFF uses the unique geographical and cultural position of Miami to be a premiere venue for the exhibition of international and US films, with a special focus on Ibero-American cinema. Both juried and audience awards are given in Documentary and Dramatic categories.

In 2005, more than 60,000 people attended the 22nd annual Festival, a 275% increase since 2002. In addition, more than 200 filmmakers, producers, talent, and industry representatives from around the world attended the 2005 Festival to introduce their work to Miami audiences and industry professionals. During the last three years, under the direction of Nicole Guillemet, the Festival has presented films from more than 50 countries, including 125 East Coast, US, and world premieres, scores of Oscar winners and nominees, and many international prizewinners.

Resources: The Centers for Disease Control, Newsweek, New York Times Magazine, E-Heatlh, UNAIDS & World health Organization, CNN.com, 365GAY.com.

Source: HBO

CONTACT: Carmen Argamasilla, +1-305-446-6695, or +1-305-491-3051, or
argama@comcast.net, for HBO

Web site: http://www.hbo.com/

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