Closing Night: 5B

Description

Presented in collaboration with the Telluride Film Festival.

In the mid-1980s, a simple number and letter designated a ward on the fifth floor of San Francisco General Hospital, the first in the country designed specifically to deal with AIDS patients. The nurses’ emphasis on humanity and consideration of holistic well-being was a small miracle in the midst of a devastating crisis and the ensuing panic about risk and infection. The story of 5B is stirringly told through first-person testimony of patients, their loved ones, and hospital staff who volunteered to work on the ward, resulting in a bittersweet and moving monument to a moment in San Francisco history and a celebration of quiet heroes worthy of remembrance and renewed recognition.

“Here on Ward 5B, a group of caregivers gathered to confront a new epidemic: AIDS. They created a haven of acceptance and compassion at a time when others called for isolation and rejection. They saw fellow human beings where others saw only contagion and disease. With the volunteer participation of a generous, loving community, they developed an internationally renowned center of excellence committed to quality of care for the living and the dying.”  —San Francisco General Hospital commemorative plaque

Film Details