SYNOPSIS

In the South Bronx, a young doctor embarks on a research project to find out why black women are being infected with the HIV virus at an alarming rate. Dr. Mehret Mandefro takes us into the lives and relationships of two of her female patients, Chevelle and Tara, as they identify and struggle with the social factors that put them at risk.

Chevelle, abandoned by her family as a teenager, became addicted to drugs and dependent on sex with men to get attention and cash. When we meet her, she's been clean for a year and is striving for financial independence. Tara suffered sexual abuse for much of her life and resorted to sex work to survive. Her current boyfriend is pressuring her for sex even though she is undergoing a series of invasive surgeries for cervical cancer. Despite her frail condition, Tara works to overcome her fear of saying no and gains new confidence along the way.

As Chevelle and Tara strive for more power in their lives and relationships, Mehret expands her research to include women across boundaries of race, class and country. She also begins to grapple with these extremely personal themes as they appear in her own life. A visit to Ethiopia, her birthplace, and candid conversations with her privileged girlfriends in New York, yield a startling realization: heterosexual women across the continents face a dangerous power imbalance in the bedroom. When she lets her hair down, steps out of her doctor's role, and confesses her own weaknesses, even this Harvard trained physician sounds just like one of us.

ALL OF US is about AIDS but it is not a tragedy. It is a story of resilience, sisterhood and courage.

Filmmakers

Emily Abt - Director/Producer/Camera

Emily Abt is an award-winning filmmaker dedicated to creating both fiction and documentary projects that grapple with current socio-political themes. She is also the President of Pureland Pictures Inc. which she founded in 1999 when she made her first film TAKE IT FROM ME. The film is a feature length documentary about the human impact of welfare reform that aired nationwide on PBS as part of the 2001 season of P.O.V, and has since screened at more than 2000 educational institutions nationwide. In 2004 Abt received her MFA in Film Directing from Columbia University's graduate film school where she wrote, directed and co-produced two 16mm fiction shorts. AISHA, THE AMERICAN, Abt's thesis film, was created when she was awarded a year-long Fulbright fellowship to live in London and collaborate with local Muslim girls.
Abt has worked as a freelance producer, camera operator and director for clients such as Johnson & Johnson, MTV News & Docs, the E! Network, True Entertainment and Grey Advertising. In 2004, she developed a public service related reality television series for MTV's News and Docs Division. Earlier this year, Abt completed 11 spots for an on-line campaign for Johnson & Johnson. ALL OF US, her second documentary feature, was completed this winter and is soon to be theatrically released. This spring, Abt directed her first narrative feature TOE TO TOE, which is currently in post-production. Abt's films have screened at festivals nationwide and she has received support for her work from sources such as the Independent Feature Project, New York State Council on the Arts, UK Fulbright Commission, Jerome Foundation, North Star Fund, The Playboy Foundation, the Lucius & Eva Eastman Fund, Open Meadows Foundation, The Valentine Foundation, International Women's Health Coalition, The Swanee Hunt Family Foundation and the Third Wave Foundation.

Reva Goldberg - Producer/Sound Recordist

Reva Goldberg's background encompasses a range of film, television, corporate and nonprofit video projects. In 2004 at CBS News Productions, Goldberg associate produced a two-hour documentary for the History Channel on the 9/11 Commission Report (which was nominated for an Emmy Award), as well as other documentary programming for CBS clients including the TLC, UPN and Discovery Health networks. Previous documentary experience includes working as Development Coordinator on two documentary projects at Cronkite Productions, Inc. and as a Researcher and Broadcast Associate on five programs for the Travel Channel. Goldberg has worked on educational children's programming for the Noggin Network and Playhouse Disney, and has associate produced independent short films and music videos for New York directors. Goldberg graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2001.

Goldberg was the Production Manager on FANCY GIRL, Abt's first Columbia University thesis film and is the Producer on ALL OF US, Pureland's second documentary feature. Goldberg is also the in-house producer for all Pureland commercial and corporate projects and directs promotional films for Pureland's corporate and non-profit clients. Goldberg has been Abt's producing partner for the past five years.

Geeta Gandbhir: Editor/Post Producer

Geeta Gandbhir has been working as an editor within the New York film/television industry for over fifteen years. She is currently editing the Obama documentary being produced by Ed Norton. Recent projects include WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE (Dir. Spike Lee), for which she won an Emmy, and AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (a 4-part PBS series) on Marvin Gaye. She has edited extensively for many networks including MTV, Oxygen, Court TV, HBO, Spike TV, the Discovery Channel, the “N” Channel, New York Times Television and PBS. Gandbhir has worked for production companies such as Forty Acres and a Mule, Granada Television, Red Moxie and Pureland Pictures.

Gandbhir got her start working under the tutelage of the legendary editor Sam Pollard. She first worked as an Assistant Editor on Robert Altman’s SHORT CUTS, Ernest Dickerson’s SURVIVING THE GAME as well as Spike Lee’s HE GOT GAME, GIRL SIX, CLOCKERS and SUMMER OF SAM. She then worked as an Associate Editor on Spike Lee’s BAMBOOZLED and Charles Dutton’s THE CORNER. Gandbhir’s non-fiction editing work includes Abt’s feature length documentary TAKE IT FROM ME for which she served as Editor and Post Production Coordinator. TAKE IT FROM ME aired nationwide as part of PBS’s 2001 POV series.

Sarah Cullen: Associate Producer/Field Producer

Sarah Cullen has been immersed in all aspects of documentary filmmaking for the past seven years. Since graduating with honors from the undergraduate film and television program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, she has Associate Produced, Line Produced and Co-Produced several documentaries for television, theatrical and DVD release at Ginger Group Productions/Jim Brown Productions including AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC a 4-part series for PBS nominated for two Emmy awards; THE THREE PICKERS for PBS' Great Performances series and release on Rounder Records; the record-breaking fundraising special PETER, PAUL & MARY: CARRY IT ON for PBS and Warner Brothers Records; and ISN'T THIS A TIME currently in theatrical release. Cullen also served as Line Producer on nine hour-long specials for the Travel Channel. Most recently, she has served as Line Producer on a biographical documentary in post-production on the life of Harry Belafonte, as well as PETE SEEGER: THE POWER OF SONG which premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

Valerie Burgher: Associate Producer

Valerie Burgher worked for nine years as a journalist covering politics, government and culture for The Village Voice, the Los Angeles Times and Long Island Newsday. She was part of a team of Newsday reporters who broke the first stories of an ongoing battle between Latino illegal immigrant day laborers and the residents of a Long Island town. Camino Bluff Productions later produced an award-winning documentary, FARMINGVILLE on the conflict. Burgher has also helped create media campaigns for political and non-profit clients as a researcher for the progressive advertising agency, Avenging Angels, Inc. and was a frequent contributor to news and culture online magazine inthefray.com. Burgher earned her English Literature degree from Yale University in 1994. Valerie Burgher passed away tragically at age 34 in May 2006. She was an Associate Producer on Pureland's ALL OF US and the film is dedicated to her memory.

Ssanyu Kalibbala - Outreach Coordinator

Ssanyu joined Pureland Pictures in January 2008 and quickly became a lead member of the Pureland team. Originally from Uganda, her experience includes domestic and international work in the media industry. Ssanyu has also served as a French translator/interpreter for human rights and international organizations. Her previous work experience includes programming, marketing and production management at TV Africa, a privately-owned station in Kampala, Uganda. During that time she also co-directed a documentary on the Kenyan government's repression of opposition political activists that aired throughout the country. In 2006, Kalibbala worked with the human rights organization WITNESS on developing a highly successful video advocacy campaign about the war in Northern Uganda. Ssanyu graduated from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada with a Bachelors degree in Communications Studies and completed her Masters degree in Media Arts at Long Island University in 2005.

Christy Park - Community Organizer

Christy joined Pureland Pictures in April 2008 and brings her passion for creating media with a social conscience to the Pureland team. This endeavor fuses her experience in the film industry with her work in the pubic service and education realms. She spent two years directing local youth programs as an AmeriCorps volunteer with non-profit media organizations, HOME, Inc. and Somerville Community Access Television while also directing, producing, and editing various community arts television programs. She has provided production assistance and editing for KINODANCE, Plum TV, and Film-Truth Productions for such projects as A HOME FOR US ALL, a documentary feature which explores the housing crisis on Martha’s Vineyard and helped raise over $530,000 toward the Island Affordable Housing Fund. Her experience also includes community event and film festival production/curation/artistic direction for KINODANCE Russia, both the Martha’s Vineyard Independent and International Film Festivals as well as PR direction for the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce. Park graduated from James Madison University’s School of Media Arts and Design in 2003.

Nana Attuah: Community Organizer

Nana Attuah is a recent graduate from the University of Western Ontario, obtaining a BA degree in both Political Science and Science. Originally from Canada, Nana recently moved to New York to pursue her interest in Media Production. During a recent stint at the on-line broadcast network ROCK ME TV, Nana worked as a Camera Assistant and a Script Doctor. Given her background in politics and psychology, Nana has taken great interest in socio-political themed films. In addition to her enthusiasm for film and passion for music, Nana brings her sharp on-line research skills to the Pureland team.

Brandon Weiss: Community Organizer

Brandon Weiss originally hales from San Francisco’s East Bay but now happily resides in Brooklyn. Brandon graduated Magna Cum Laude from Colgate University with a degree in Philosophy and Religion and distinctions from his department. His previous work experience includes a recent stint at Platinum Advisors, a California based Public Relations and Communications Firm. He also has experience working with California lobbyist groups and he campaigned on the grassroots level during the 2004 Presidential Campaign. Brandon draws on his sales and marketing experience to advance Pureland’s self-distribution efforts. He also manages the company’s hefty Filemaker database in addition to his ongoing production related duties. Brandon has dedicated himself over the years to political activism and views social-issue filmmaking as a powerful vehicle for social change.

Heather O’Connor: Community Organizer

Heather is currently working on her BFA in film at Pratt Institute and her work was recently featured at the Infusion Long Island Art event sponsored by the Ronald MacDonald house. She brings her steady enthusiasm and experience in graphic design, digital photography and editing to the Pureland team. Previously, she has Production Assisted on Michael Pickney’s YOU'RE NOBODY 'TILL SOMEBODY KILLS YOU and worked as a freelance graphic designer.

 
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