'Inside Story' Makes World Premiere On World Aids Day, Combines Entertainment & Education In Fight Against HIV/AIDS

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Johannesburg, South Africa – December 2, 2011 – Commemorating World AIDS Day and its commitment to educating communities around the world, the nonprofit Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership debuted INSIDE STORY: THE SCIENCE OF HIV/AIDS to a packed theater in Johannesburg on December 1. Produced by South Africa-based Curious Pictures with the support of PEPFAR, USAID, Chevron, Discovery Communications, Access Bank, The South African Department of Trade and Industry, SEACOM and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the film reaches across class and educational boundaries through a compelling story of sports, love and ill fates to enlighten audiences about HIV/AIDS.

Directed by Rolie Nikiwe (Tsha Tsha, The Lab, Intersexions), INSIDE STORY stars Kevin Ndege Mamboleo (Changing Times) as Kalu, a gifted footballer who moves from rural Kenya to urban Johannesburg to follow his dream and support his family. His path becomes more challenging when he falls in love with the coach’s daughter, Ify (Kendra Etufunwa), and subsequently finds out he is HIV positive.   Newcomers Mamboleo and Etufunwa (Jacob’s Cross) are joined by nationally and internationally celebrated stars including Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Hotel Rwanda, 24) as Kalu’s mentor and tough-as-nails coach, Fana Mokoena (Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda) as the ruthless team owner, and Regina-Re as Kalu’s mother, Miriam. INSIDE STORY also demonstrates the science of HIV in a personal, practical and memorable way, leveraging realistic CGI animations that take the viewer into the body while replacing misunderstanding with facts.   “Knowledge is power, and with INSIDE STORY we have a powerful tool with which to share the science of HIV,” said Aric Noboa, President, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership and Executive Producer, INSIDE STORY. “This is an African film for African audiences that tackles a global pandemic. We’re honored to premiere the film here in South Africa, and thankful for the generous support of our partners. Understanding HIV/AIDS is central to making healthy decisions, complying with treatment, and ending stigma and discrimination. This is the right time for INSIDE STORY, an innovative approach to helping eradicate HIV/AIDS in Africa and beyond.”   “INSIDE STORY will be a valuable tool to inform people across Africa and the world about the science of HIV. With greater understanding of the virus people can seek to know their status, to protect themselves, and to adhere to life-saving treatment if needed,” said Ambassador Eric Goosby, United States AIDS Coordinator. “The global AIDS response is a shared responsibility. With strong leadership from the United States, and continued partnership from the private sector, we are seizing the opportunity the science has presented us to move toward an AIDS-free generation.”   “Access Bank’s intervention in the health space is a responsible approach to managing the impact of the triple pandemics of HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria through effective workplace programmes, partnerships and community involvement that seek to reduce the effect of the pandemics on employees, their families, supply chain, clients and society in general,” added Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Group Managing Director/CEO, Access Bank Plc. “Partnerships between organizations is essential, and INSIDE STORY is one such partnership. The film will help ensure that awareness and education about HIV/AIDS reaches the grassroots and shapes behavior.”   Following the film’s world premiere in Johannesburg, it will make its U.S. debut in Washington, DC in January, and a comprehensive rollout of the film – including national broadcasts across sub-Saharan Africa and distribution through grassroots efforts of NGOs, schools and governments – will take place in 2012. Additionally, DCGEP will provide facilitator guides and DVD & online materials for use by community and public health organizations, as well as schools throughout Africa, to reinforce INSIDE STORY’s messages in both urban and rural communities. Discovery World, the factual TV channel operated by Discovery Networks, will also support the project by airing the trailer and shorts across Africa in conjunction with the release of the film. The trailer for the film and regular updates on the project can be found at insidestorythemovie.org and facebook.com/insidestory.   To schedule an interview with the producers, director or cast, or to request a screener and photography from INSIDE STORY, please email amber_harris@discovery.com.   About Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership (DCGEP) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization that for the past 14 years has been working in under-resourced schools around the world, using the power of television to increase student learning, teacher effectiveness and the community’s access to information and involvement in their children’s schools. The initiative is locally managed, and involves a collaborative process of educational video program development that combines contributions of expertise and high-quality documentary footage from Discovery with the needs of educators in countries where DCGEP is active. In addition, DCGEP provides three years of teacher training and capacity building to ensure their ability to maximize the value of educational television as a tool for teaching and learning. For more information, please visit www.thepoweroftv.org.   About PEPFAR The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the U.S. Government initiative to save the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS around the world. This historic commitment is the largest by any nation to combat a single disease internationally, and PEPFAR investments also help alleviate suffering from other diseases across the global health spectrum. PEPFAR is driven by a shared responsibility among donor and partner nations and others to make smart investments to save lives. For more information about PEPFAR, visit www.PEPFAR.gov, http://twitter.com/uspepfar, or www.facebook.com/PEPFAR.   About Discovery Communications Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 142 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.   About Chevron Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.   About Access Bank Access Bank Plc is a socially responsible organization; with a clearly developed strategy for facilitating societal development and wellbeing. The Bank is one of Africa’s pre-eminent financial services groups, and has a full banking subsidiary in the UK and all monetary zones across sub-Sahara Africa. The Bank is ranked 14^th in Africa and amongst the top 500 banks in the world by tier 1 capital as at December 2010. For more information visit www.accessbankplc.com.   About SEACOM SEACOM is a privately financed, developed and owned submarine fibre optic cable network bringing high quality, affordable broadband capacity to Africa through the sale of wholesale international bandwidth and associated services on an open-access basis since July 2009. Stretching some 17,000km along the eastern and southern African coastlines and onwards to India and Europe, the SEACOM system has already connected many African countries including South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Djibouti and Ethiopia bringing in many instances previously unavailable access to unrestricted bandwidth.   The SEACOM network offers bundled backhaul, open-access points of presence and global partnerships, to provide high quality, cost effective, end-to-end connectivity. Tiered pricing coupled with open access system integration solutions means that SEACOM has moved beyond the cable to become a major pan-African network with a full suite of IP services and unprecedented benefits for customers. SEACOM believes in a world where the African Internet experience is interconnected and characterized by abundant local content, minimal latency as well as fast download and streaming speeds. This vision is at the heart of SEACOM’s commitment to Building the African Internet. For more information, please visit www.seacom.mu.   About UNAIDS UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative United Nations partnership that leads and inspires the world in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Learn more at unaids.org.   DC19246