Burger director Jon Sykes has directed a new campaign for HIV awareness titled 'Just A Part Of Me'. The campaign allows eleven men to tell their stories and 'bare their bodies and their souls', in which they talk about how they've come to terms with the condition.
It's a really interesting piece that brings an alternative approach to the typical at camera interview, that's about a hard hitting subject, from a different perspective, allowing HIV positive people to change the narrative around the condition.
Director Jon Sykes had the following to say on the project. 'Our aim was to do something a bit different from your typical talking heads. The body art approach felt like a poignant and engaging way to support the men's stories while also serving to draw attention to the health messages of the campaign. There's still a stigma associated with HIV which I hope these films, even if just in a small way, help to address. At first, they're seemingly half-naked and vulnerable but as they tell their stories you can see that these men are not victims at all, they're strong, empowered individuals who don't let HIV define them - it's actually allowed them to review their lives and make changes to become the people they want to be.'
The piece was awarded four stars from David Reviews, with the review site stating 'This introspective Gilead commercial assembles eleven men who refuse to let HIV define them. The diverse group each frame their experiences in a positive light, while one contributor asserts "we're here... we're also queer sometimes". Constantly shifting perspectives offer a fluid take on the talking heads format.
For more information on the campaign and to watch the individual stories, click here and to see more of Jon's work, click here.