Seventh Row

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Ep. 91: AIDS on screen, featuring It’s a Sin

On this episode of the podcast, we have a wide-ranging conversation about the history of AIDS on screen — from Philadelphia to BPM to Looking HBO to Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo and beyond — inspired by the recent TV miniseries, It’s a Sin.

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Films and TV series featured on the podcast: It's a Sin (top left), Philadelphia (top right), Hold the man (bottom left), and BPM (bottom right)
Films and TV series featured on the podcast: It’s a Sin (top left), Philadelphia (top right), Hold the man (bottom left), and BPM (bottom right)

On this episode, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith welcome a new guest, Dr. Emily Garside. Dr. Garside did her Ph.D. on theatrical representations of the AIDS crisis, with a focus on Angels in America and Rent.

On this episode

  • Why this episode (5:14)
  • A history of AIDS on stage and screen (9:14)
  • It’s a Sin (Russell T. Davies, 2021) (19:24)
  • The Series Structure of It’s a Sin (29:51)
  • Jill and the role of women in AIDS narratives (32:25)
  • The characters’ lack of education about HIV (35:25)
  • Philadelphia (Jonathan Demme, 1993) (39:25)
  • The questionable history of which films about AIDS get Oscar nominations (56:53)
  • Normal Heart (Larry Kramer play, 1985; Ryan Murphy film, 2014) (58:58)
  • How to Survive a Plague (David France, 2012) (1:12:25)
  • BPM (Beats Per Minute) (Robin Campillo, 2017)
  • Holding the Man (Neil Armfield, 2015)
  • Looking (Michael Lannan and Andrew Haigh, 2014-2016)
  • Cucumber and Banana (Russel T. Davies, 2015)
  • Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo (Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, 2016)

It’s a Sin

It’s a Sin is a five part TV series about a group of gay men living through the AIDS crisis in London, between 1981 to 1991. Created and written by Russel T. Davies, the series stars Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, and Callum Scott Howells.

It’s a Sin is streaming on Prime in Canada, on HBO Max in the US, and Channel 4 in the UK.

Episode notes

  • Read Alex’s essay on looking for home in the work of Andrew Haigh
  • Read Elena Lazic’s interview with BPM director Robin Campillo
  • Read Larry Kramer’s 1994 explanation for why he hated Philadephia, in the LA Times.
  • Order Emily’s upcoming book, Love That Journey For Me: The Queer Revolution of Schitt’s Creek, available in June
  • Read Emily’s guide to HIV/AIDS narratives to read & watch after It’s A Sin on The Queer Review
  • Watch our Lockdown Film School session with Agnieszka Holland