A documentary about the efforts of a group of nurses and caregivers who opened the first AIDS ward in the United States will be shown at Ithaca College on Tuesday, Dec. 3, in observance of World AIDS Day. Free and open to the public, the screening of “5B” will take place at 6 p.m. in Textor 103.
“5B” is the inspirational story of individuals who took extraordinary action to comfort, protect and care for the patients of the first HIV/AIDS ward unit at San Francisco General Hospital in 1983. Stirringly told through first-person testimony of medical staff and volunteers, along with patients and their loved ones, the result is an uplifting yet candid and bittersweet monument to a pivotal moment in American history and a celebration of quiet heroes worthy of renewed recognition.
Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day is an annual opportunity for people to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.
The showing is part of the Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen film series, sponsored by the Ithaca College Center for LGBT Education, Outreach and Services. For more information, visit ithaca.edu/lgbt.