Registration is required to attend. Register before the event here.

Please arrive 15 minutes early to register for the event and browse books. Buying a book before or after the event is a great way to support our project!

Bringing to light the suppression of the AIDS pandemic, Buddies (1985) was the first film to publicly discuss this global health crisis in the US. The film follows two gay men from different class backgrounds who come into contact through an in-hospital “buddies” program that pairs AIDS patients with a companion. Director Arthur J. Bressan Jr., who died of AIDS in 1987, stated, "For me there is a real moral issue in going around and raising several hundred thousand dollars to make a movie about the pain and suffering and lives of people with AIDS who can't make rent and are living on food stamps. I really felt I'd better make Buddies small, low budget, and powerful... I did not want to spend a year or two doing an AIDS movie which should be made now." Wrenchingly shot and featuring dynamic performances from Geoff Edholm as buddy Robert and David Schachter as patient David, Buddies encapsulates the political conflict both inside and exterior to the gay community of the 1980s while diving deep into the humanity of its two main characters. 

Stay after the screening to discuss the film and browse books!

Register before the event here.