Following the leadership of many successful organizations, we intend on using an inspirational documentary to engage youth in the fight against AIDS. The twelve selected students will gain a strong understanding of the HIV/AIDS issue then have an opportunity to witness them first hand. Most importantly, while in Lesotho, our students will learn what individuals are doing to overcome challenges. Through their experience, a documentary film is being created and the final production will be used to raise awareness across Canada.

Co-directing and filming the documentary is Jake Chirico, Sheridan College graduate and passionate emerging filmmaker/photographer. His first short documentary about the annual mayfly invasion of North Bay, entitled The Freshwater Plague, has screened at festivals such as Hot Docs, TIFF Sprockets, and The Palm Springs Int’l Shorts Fest as well as won various awards at others. He has also worked as a cinematographer and in the camera department on a number of successful docs including Pretty Little Bits, Push Past: Rob Dyer’s Skate Across Canada, and So Far From Home (which premiered on OMNI TV). The driving force in his career is a need to capture, create, and exhibit anything that provokes both questions and answers while helping us learn something about ourselves.

Producing the film is Prionnsias James Murphy. Pronnsias has considerable experience volunteering as a camera operator and editor. Most notably, he has been the leading producer in four short films in the past three years. Recently, one of his films was selected by Sheridan College to be submitted for consideration to the Toronto International Film Festival. Prionnsias is a graduate of Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute and embodies the Guelph community’s character of compassion.