Sí Trends

• ‹ previous
• 2 of 6
• next ›

Remember teenage love so good it made your heart hurt? The kind that made your belly warm and solar plexus tingle? The kind that made you smile so wide, your teeth and tongue dried up?

You know. The kind that made, even “good” girls (and boys), want to “lose it”. (ha! lose what , I ask?

Now, imagine if you were HIV positive.

New York original (cause these days, no one that lives here is actually from here) Andrea Williams’ debut film, A Spoonful of Sugar tells that teenage love story.

And it is absolutely beautiful.

HIV-infected teen, Patrice, navigates first love, sexuality, stigmas, secrets, and responsibility while still managing to captivate us with her courage, raw honesty, and yes- innocence. Shot in 35mm and edited on Final Cut Pro by Bill Mack of Diaspora/Aerolith Studios, Spoonful is New York coming of age tale that manages to combine grit, light, and a beautiful cast of black and brown characters. Silvestre Rasuk (Raising Victor Vargas) plays the love interest of newcomer Noelle Gift, who plays the HIV-infected Patrice, born with HIV which she contracted from her mother.

An official selection at a number of international festivals, including the Independent Feature Project (IFP-NY) Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, and London Film Festival, Spoonful is also the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. The fresh-faced cast and complex approach to exploring the life of an HIV-affected young woman speak for itself. Featured as part of the Reel New York Film Festival, hosted by Channel 13, A Spoonful of Sugar is one of 29 independent films and videos “by New Yorkers and about New Yorkers”. Thirteens’ Reel NY Festival airs A Spoonful of Sugar tonight at 10 pm on Ch. 13 (WNET-NY). If you miss it, simply catch it online at on Thirteen’s website.

According to the I Stand With Magic campaign which seems to have hit bus stops and public gathering spaces all over New York City, 81% of all peoples living with HIV/AIDS in New York City are African-American and Latino. Women of color, we know, represent the growing number of new cases. If you’re a New York Boricua, then you also know that Unidos Dandole Cara al Sida (United Giving a Face to AIDS) has been raising hell about the recent federal cuts to HIV/AIDS funding on the island and its impact on treatment, social and support services, and HIV/AIDS focused agencies who are now soliciting support from across the nation for the AIDS crisis in Puerto Rico.

Mi gente, DO SOMETHING!

And as for my sister, Andrea Williams, keep your eyes and ears open. I promise that you’ll see her work soon, at a theater near you.