Log in
The Battle of Amfar

The Battle of Amfar

2013 · 40 min · ★ 4.4 · Documentary

When AIDS struck in the early 1980s, a scientist and a movie star did not have to respond - but they did. Dr. Mathilde Krim and Elizabeth Taylor joined forces to create amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. The fight against HIV has never been the same. The Perfect Host reveals how two powerful and very different women came together, and what their combined efforts achieved. With passion and wit, Taylor wielded celebrity as a weapon against government indifference while Krim's commitment to science ensured support for the most promising research areas. Today, the only man cured of AIDS can thank research championed by Mathilde Krim. Visually dazzling and emotionally compelling, this story offers a surprising perspective on the still ongoing fight against AIDS.

Directed by Rob Epstein

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 15m together

The Battle of Amfar

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice

Both from Rob Epstein.

More from Rob EpsteinSee all →

Underground ZeroUnderground Zero · 2002
Underground Zero
★ 10.02002
MovieDocumentary
A collection of shorts made by various directors in response to 9/11.
Greetings from Washington, D.C.Greetings from Washington, D.C. · 1981
Greetings from Washington, D.C.
★ 9.01981
MovieDocumentary
A short documentary about the First National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place on Sunday, October 14th 1979.
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My VoiceLinda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice · 2019
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
★ 7.62019
MovieDocumentary
With one of the most memorably stunning voices that has ever hit the airwaves, Linda Ronstadt burst onto the 1960s folk rock music scene in her early twenties.
The Celluloid ClosetThe Celluloid Closet · 1996
The Celluloid Closet
★ 7.31996
MovieDocumentaryHistory
Exuberant, eye-opening movie that serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Film contains fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s.
The Times of Harvey MilkThe Times of Harvey Milk · 1984
The Times of Harvey Milk
★ 7.31984
MovieDocumentary
Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.
End GameEnd Game · 2018
End Game
★ 7.22018
MovieDocumentary
Filmed and edited in intimate vérité style, this movie follows visionary medical practitioners who are working on the cutting edge of life and death and are dedicated to changing our thinking about both.
Common Threads: Stories from the QuiltCommon Threads: Stories from the Quilt · 1989
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
★ 6.91989
MovieHistoryDocumentary
On the eve of 1987's Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, surviving families and friends of people who have died of AIDS prepare panels to be added to a large-scale memorial quilt project. Drawing from the sea of names memorialized, director Robert Epstein focuses on the lives of six people. Alongside the intimate profiles offered, through news footage and interviews, Epstein puts the AIDS crisis in the larger context of social and government response to the disease.
And the Oscar Goes To...And the Oscar Goes To... · 2014
And the Oscar Goes To...
★ 6.82014
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
Paragraph 175Paragraph 175 · 2000
Paragraph 175
★ 6.62000
MovieHistoryDocumentary
During the Nazi regime, there was widespread persecution of homosexual men, which started in 1871 with the Paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code. Thousands were murdered in concentration camps. This powerful and disturbing documentary, narrated by Rupert Everett, presents for the first time the largely untold testimonies of some of those who survived.
HowlHowl · 2010
Howl
★ 6.52010
MovieDrama
It's San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece is put on trial. Howl, the film, recounts this dark moment using three interwoven threads: the tumultuous life events that led a young Allen Ginsberg to find his true voice as an artist, society's reaction (the obscenity trial), and mind-expanding animation that echoes the startling originality of the poem itself. All three coalesce in a genre-bending hybrid that brilliantly captures a pivotal moment-the birth of a counterculture.
Rescued from the ClosetRescued from the Closet · 2001
Rescued from the Closet
★ 6.52001
MovieDocumentary
Rescued from the Closet is a 2001 documentary consisting of interviews originally recorded for the 1995 film The Celluloid Closet. It explores the history and impact of LGBT representation in cinema, providing insights into the portrayal and evolution of LGBT characters and themes within the film industry.
LovelaceLovelace · 2013
Lovelace
★ 6.02013
MovieDrama
Story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband, before taking control of her life.
State of PrideState of Pride · 2019
State of Pride
★ 5.42019
MovieDocumentary
Fifty years after the Stonewall uprising, Oscar-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman travel to three diverse communities – Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama – for an unflinching look at LGBTQ Pride, from the perspective of a younger generation for whom it still has personal urgency.
Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our LivesWord Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives · 1977
Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives
★ 5.01977
MovieDocumentary
More than two dozen men and women of various backgrounds, ages, and races talk to the camera about being gay or lesbian. Their stories are arranged in loose chronology: early years, fitting in (which for some meant marriage), coming out, establishing adult identities, and reflecting on how things have changed and how things should be.
Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular MusicTaylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music · 2023
Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music
★ 4.72023
MovieDocumentary
This riotous concert film documents New York theater legend Taylor Mac's joyous, challenging, and ostentatiously queer 24-hour musical performance. Featuring virtuoso musicians, innovative costumes, and the American myth as told by sailor's ditties, disco, and sugary pop alike, Mac's cathartic celebration is not to be missed.
The Gospel of EurekaThe Gospel of Eureka · 2018
The Gospel of Eureka
★ 4.22018
MovieDocumentary
Faith, love and civil rights collide on voting day in a small Southern town that hosts a famous performance of the last days of Christ and an infamous gospel drag show.

More Like This

The Celluloid ClosetThe Celluloid Closet · 1996
The Celluloid Closet
★ 7.31996
MovieDocumentaryHistory
Exuberant, eye-opening movie that serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Film contains fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter