Beginning Dec. 1 (World AIDS Day), movie fans and social networkers will be able to participate in the latest innovation in “filmanthropy.”
The Road We Know (www.theroadweknow.com), a new documentary about a youth movement in Botswana aimed at HIV prevention, has teamed up with technology company UbicMedia(TM) and its proprietary PUMit tool to allow audiences to digitally share the film while simultaneously contributing to a fund to further develop youth HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Botswana.
Can a small group of college students from Botswana challenge conventional wisdom about AIDS in Africa to save their generation? The Road We Know explores the impact of HIV/AIDS in Botswana through the efforts of these young adults who boldly advocate for behavior change to save lives.
Directed by Suzanne Taylor and produced by Citygate Films, The Road We Know began production in 2008 when Taylor had the opportunity to film the HIV prevention training Botswana college students were receiving through the nonprofit program, “Face the Nation.”
The film will kick off a series of nationwide screenings at churches, schools of public health, and AIDS awareness and prevention organizations beginning Dec. 1 at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, an early supporter of the Face the Nation program.
World AIDS Day will also mark the launch of the “Watch the Movie, Save a Life” program, a crowd-marketing and fundraising campaign that will allow audiences to digitally share the film via email and their social networks after paying an $ 8 fee, 50% of which will be donated by Citygate Films to Partners to the World, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Botswana.
The “Watch the Film, Save a Life” campaign is powered by PUMit, a technology tool developed by UbicMedia. PUMit allows rights-holders to securely share their video with their social networks while tracking viewings and referrals, and adding an e-commerce component.