5B (film)

5B is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Dan Krauss and Paul Haggis about the efforts of a group of nurses and caregivers who opened the first AIDS ward in the world at San Francisco General Hospital and changed the way patients were cared for[1] in the 1980s AIDS epidemic.

5B
Directed by
Produced by
  • Rupert Maconick
  • Paul Haggis
  • Dan Krauss
  • Brendan Gaul
  • Guru Gowrappan
  • Hayley Pappas
CinematographyDrew Eckmann
Edited byChristopher Dillon
Music byJustin Melland
Distributed byRYOT
Release date
  • 4 November 2018 (2018-11-04) (SFFILM)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Verizon Media, with the help of Johnson & Johnson and Academy Award winner Julianne Moore, announced during its Newfront event[2] in New York City on April 30, 2019, that it had acquired and planned to release the documentary.

The film first premiered at the 2018 San Francisco Doc Stories film festival and was later screened at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2019 and at LA Pride on June 7, 2019.[3] It was released nationwide June 14, 2019 in select theaters, presented by RYOT, a Verizon Media company.

Plot summary

5B[4] is the inspirational story of everyday heroes, nurses and caregivers who took extraordinary action to comfort, protect and care for the patients of the first AIDS ward unit in the United States. 5B is stirringly told through first-person testimony of these nurses and caregivers who built Ward 5B in 1983 at San Francisco General Hospital, their patients, loved ones, and staff who volunteered to create care practices based in humanity and holistic well-being during a time of great uncertainty. The result is an uplifting, yet candid and bittersweet, monument to a pivotal moment in American history and a celebration of quiet heroes, nurses and caregivers worthy of renewed recognition.

Reception

David Rooney wrote in The Hollywood Reporter: "As much as 5B is defined by the still-resonating sorrow of so many deaths, and the conflicted feelings of survivors from decimated communities left with few friends their own age, it's also an uplifting film about profound human decency and generosity of spirit."[5] Guy Lodge of Variety called the film a "straight-for-the-tear-ducts documentary, which seeks first-hand inspiration and optimism amid the wreckage of an unavoidably bleak chapter in recent American history."[6]

Cast
  • Alison Moed Paolercio
  • Cliff Morrison
  • David Denmark
  • Mary Magee
  • Sasha Cuttler
  • Guy Vandenberg
  • Dr. Paul Volberding
  • Dr. Lorraine Day
  • Rita Rockett
  • Hank Plante
  • Steve Williams
  • Mary Asbury
  • Leah Cleveland
  • Harry Breaux[7]
  • George Kelly[8]

Release

5B was featured[9] and was the closing film at the San Francisco Doc Stories 2018 film festival. The film premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2019, was set for American premiere at Los Angeles Pride on June 7, 2019, and released nationwide on June 14, 2019 in select theaters. At the Cannes Lions awards in 2019, it won a Grand Prix Award in Entertainment, with Jury President Scott Donaton quoting: “5B is a brave idea and a beautiful story that's brilliantly crafted. It can – and will – stand as a piece of great entertainment as well as an example of bold marketing. We need more stories like this, stories that make people care, that reflect a brand's values and that point the way forward for our industry.”[10]

Co-director and producer Paul Haggis's name was removed from the film's Cannes press materials, following allegations of rape and sexual misconduct levied against him in January 2018. His name is listed in the end credits.[11][12]

References
  1. Bishop, Katherine (December 14, 1985). "Ward 5B: A model of care for AIDS". The New York Times.
  2. Hays, Kali (May 1, 2019). "Hulu Touts Major Stars, Verizon Media Shifts 'Intention' at NewFronts". Women's Wear Daily.
  3. Kaufman, Amy (May 15, 2019). "Inside Opening Night at the Cannes Film Festival". Los Angeles Times.
  4. Williams, Trey (April 30, 2019). "Dan Krauss Documentary '5B' About the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Acquired by Verizon Media". TheWrap.
  5. Rooney, David (May 18, 2019). "5B: Film Review — Cannes 2019". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. Lodge, Guy (May 17, 2019). "Cannes Film Review: 5B". Variety.
  7. Allday, Erin (March 2016). "Harry Breaux". San Francisco Chronicle.
  8. Parekh, Smit (December 14, 2018). "George Kelly — A Longtime AIDS Survivor". Bay News Now.
  9. Staff, Examiner (November 6, 2018). "Doc Stories Premieres AIDS Ward Movie '5B'". San Francisco Chronicle.
  10. "Childish Gambino Among the Entertainment and Craft Grands Prix". Little Black Book. June 18, 2019.
  11. Siegel, Tatiana (May 28, 2019). "Paul Haggis' Name Scrubbed From Press Materials for Cannes Movie '5B'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  12. Kaufman, Amy (June 17, 2019). "AIDS doc '5B,' co-directed by Paul Haggis, uses star power to raise awareness". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
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