REMEMBRANCE DAY

The early years of the AIDS crisis come to life in the powerful documentary, We Were Here.

This Friday, we honour those who have given their lives for our freedoms. But not all wars are fought by soldiers in uniform.

Thirty years ago, a new “gay plague” began ravaging North America’s homosexual community. Nowhere was the loss as keenly felt as in San Francisco, a city that had cobbled together a strong, vibrant gay culture.

Director David Weissman’s acclaimed documentary, We Were Here, charts the devastating effects of AIDS as it cut down nearly 15,000 Bay Area men in the first years of the crisis. Relying on first-person accounts from five survivors, it paints a portrait of a medical and social war, as those afflicted with the disease came together to support one another and to combat the rampant homophobia, fear mongering and indifference that was literally killing their friends and lovers.

Graphic, heartbreaking and at times difficult to watch, We Were Here is nonetheless a powerful testament to the human spirit and a lasting monument to those we lost early on in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Never forget.

WE WERE HERE screens Friday (6:30 pm) and Saturday (5 pm) at Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour St.). Tickets $11 online.