Wikipedia article
'No Sad Songs' is a Canada documentary film, directed by Nik Sheehan and released in 1985.["AIDS film defines one man's courage". 'Toronto Star', October 16, 1985.] Billed as the first documentary film about the HIV/AIDS crisis,["Celebrating to the max". 'The Globe and Mail', September 13, 1985.] the film explored the LGBT community's early response to the issue particularly but not exclusively through the personal testimony of Jim Black, a man with AIDS who died several months after the film's release,["Jim Black, 37 described battle against AIDS". 'Toronto Star', May 10, 1986.] and Catherine Hunt, the sister of another person with AIDS.[
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Several other community figures, including musician David Sereda and HIV/AIDS activist Jim St. James, also appear in smaller capacities in the film.
The film was produced by Cell Productions in conjunction with the AIDS Committee of Toronto.["AIDS committee withdraws poster and upsets artist". 'Toronto Star', June 23, 1985.] Through much of the film and in the original promotional poster, Black wore a "Choose Life" T-shirt by artist Katharine Hamnett;[ however, during the time between the film's production and its release, Christian evangelist Ken Campbell had registered "Choose Life Canada" as the name of an anti-abortion lobby group, and the AIDS Committee faced controversy when it chose to withdraw the posters rather than risk having them misconstrued as an endorsement of Campbell.][
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