It’s been 25 years since a lesion on the forehead of lawyer Andrew Beckett, played by Tom Hanks, got him fired and stirred the world into awareness of the devastating epidemic of Aids.
The film, Philadelphia, which won Hanks an Oscar for his compelling portrayal of Beckett’s fight for justice against discrimination was the first Hollywood film to address the epidemic, homosexuality and homophobia.
Now – on the eve of December 1, World Aids Day – The Last Mile – a documentary narrated by SA award-winning epidemiologist and the UNAIDS special ambassador for adolescents and HIV Quarraisha Abdool Karim, has been launched to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie.
The 25-minute documentary – which also includes interviews with Hanks, fellow actors Denzel Washington and Mary Steenburgen, as well as writer Ron Nyswaner – highlights the shift in cultural perceptions from fear to compassion and the progress made in the fight against HIV/Aids, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which recorded 70% of the million deaths worldwide in 2017 as a result of the syndrome...