The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Spreading a message through film

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 30, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Spreading a message through film

A HELPING HAND: A still from Solace, the two-minutes-long short film featuring Natalie Glebova.

Natalie Glebova, the reigning Miss Universe, has a message for the Indians: Know AIDS to No AIDS.

It is short and effective; like the two-minute-long short film Solace featuring her.

Ms. Glebova, who has been described as the `most beautiful woman in the Universe,' was in the State recently along with Miss Afghanistan, six models from New York and leading Indian models for an AIDS Awareness campaign.

Saji Dominic, former regional editor of a television news channel and a documentary filmmaker, made use of the visit to highlight one of the saddest facets of the dreaded disease, which has achieved the proportion of an epidemic. Child victims of AIDS are the central theme of the documentary that has been brought out by Mr. Dominic.

"They know nothing. They did not commit any sin. But they are the victims," the short film tells us. The film is being made for Keraleeyam, Global Kerala Initiative that has been working with children with HIV infection.

Only a few cases of children affected with HIV have been reported. But the real number of children who have been tested positive is much more that that has been reported, says Mr. Dominic.

The initiative had been supporting a large number of children who have tested positive from different parts of the State. It is the plight of this children that prompted me to make the short film, says Mr. Dominic.

Ms. Glebova, originally from Russia, migrated to Canada and was crowned as Miss Universe last year at Bangkok on May 2004.

K.S. Sudhi

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