Tulane University, WHIV to launch inaugural Public Health Film Festival

The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, community radio station 102.3 FM WHIV-LP and the Southern Center for Health Equity will produce the inaugural Public Health Film Festival of New Orleans to showcase cinematic stories that emphasize disparities in both public health and basic individual rights. 

The film festival, which is free and open to the public, will take place May 10-12, 2019, at the university’s downtown campus at 1440 Canal Street in New Orleans.

The Public Health Film Festival of New Orleans will screen powerful feature-length and short documentaries, intended to inform and educate audiences around a variety of topics while inspiring activism for health equity. Most have local ties to New Orleans and/or Louisiana and cover issues ranging from HIV/AIDS to gun violence, reproductive justice to veteran’s health, the 2016 Ebola crisis and beyond. The festival will host moderated panels with filmmakers, public health experts and community members immediately following screening blocks to add real-life context to public health issues covered in each film. 

The first chapter in the docuseries The Skin You’re In will be screened during the festival. Dr. Thomas LaVeist, dean of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, directs the series, which investigates the disparity in black and white health in the United States, why it exists and what can be done about it. 

“Film is an ideal medium to explore these topics to reach larger audiences beyond the academic community,” LaVeist said. “I’m also excited to welcome the community into the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. We are in a great, central location in the heart of the city, and I want to encourage the Greater New Orleans community to see us as an active partner and participant in improving the health of the city and state.”

Filmmakers were invited to present their work for the festival. Organizers intend to make the film festival a juried event that will attract both new and experienced filmmakers from across the U.S. and beyond. 

Tickets are available at www.f-no.org/tickets.

The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (SPHTM) is the oldest school of public health in the country. The school is well known for research and practice in the areas of infectious diseases (including malaria and HIV), maternal and child health, health policy and management, nutrition and obesity, cardiovascular and renal diseases, and many other areas.  

102.3 FM WHIV-LP is a community radio station dedicated to human rights and social justice. It was established in 2015 and seeks to raise awareness about HIV and other infectious diseases through music and commentary, especially in regard to disadvantaged and marginalized populations.