Louise Hogarth’s documentary The Gift explores the phenomenon of “bug chasing” and “gift giving” — the deliberate infection of HIV. “Without shame and blame, I wanted to explore the story of what went wrong with our prevention efforts and how we arrived at this place where people didn’t care if they got infected,” Hogarth said. “The issues are complex, and the solutions are not easy, but we cannot begin to address them until we stop denying them.” Premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, the film made international headlines for its cutting-edge content and challenging message.

Hogarth will begin this unusual Forum with a screening of The Gift followed by a discussion of the making of the film and the issues it addresses. Chicago Sun Times critic Richard Roeper says, “Everyone should see this movie!”

- University of Wisconsin, Eau Clair