Artistic Productions
The Reach Network for Health and Society has produced a diverse collection of documentary films and artistic exhibitions.
1) Mi Vida con VIH / My Life with HIV is a photographic exhibit created by ten Latino and Latina activist-artists living with HIV/AIDS in Miami, Florida. These activist-artists, who remain anonymous in the exhibit, receive services at Pridelines, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving LGBTQ persons and their allies. Pridelines provides a wide range of urgently needed community resources in Miami-Dade County, including those for people living with, or at risk for, HIV/AIDS. Mi Vida con VIH / My Life with HIV was implemented through a collaboration between Pridelines and Honors College students and faculty at Florida International University (FIU) in 2018-2019, through a course "PhotoVoice as Community Engagement" The project aims to foster education and awareness about HIV/AIDS in South Florida through artist and humanistic productions that describe the meaning of the epidemic for Latinos and Latinas through their own stories, pictures, and words.
2) Collapse: One hurricane, one study, thousands dead. On September 20, 2017 hurricane María hit the island of Puerto Rico with category four winds. The local government reported the number of dead at 64, while a Harvard University lead study estimated 4645. This film tells the story of the research team that completed this historic study from the perspective of Dr. Domingo Marqués, the only team member to experience the hurricane firsthand. See how the local government, echoing an anti-science agenda in the broader US, reacted to the now famous study, and how a country that distrusts scientists prepares for the next catastrophic event.
Collapse is directed by Dr. Nelson Varas-Díaz from the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies at FIU.