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RAI FILM Festival takes place on 27-30 March 2025. Learn more.

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2019

Positive Women: Heartache, Hope & Living with HIV

Directed by Rebecca Devaraj

2017 – 30'

Synopsis

In 2016, filmmaker Bex Devaraj and anthropologist Anne Lotter were given unique access to one of the biggest slums in Kampala, Uganda, where every day is a struggle for survival.

In this intimate film, six courageous women share their stories of heartache, hope and living with HIV. From polygamous marriage, to being bewitched, to dreams of driving a car, this documentary gives a voice to a community who’ve never had one.

‘Positive Women’ reflects the real power of film in hearing directly from the participants; their tragedy, fears and hopes, spoken with heartbreaking candour. The women’s compelling stories are told with humour, anger, resolve and defiance, leaving a sense of having lived alongside them and incorporated their social and material world in an enlivened bodily experience.

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RAI FILM Festival 2025

The next RAI FILM Festival will take place in person from 27-30 March 2025 at the Watershed Cinema and the Arnolfini International Centre for Contemporary Arts in Bristol (UK) and online throughout the month of April 2025.