Local Chapter Member's Documentary to Screen During Film Festival

The African documentary A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message (http://www.albolmovie.com/) by Philadelphia-based journalist and filmmaker Scott Hatfield (pictured) profiles the efforts of stylish East African musicians who teamed with Ugandan medical personnel to create a powerful HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention song. Hatfield is a member of NLGJA Philadelphia.

The documentary is scheduled to screen in Philadelphia at the First Glance Film Festival on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:45 p.m., along with several official selections, at Philadelphia’s Prince Music Theater.

A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message received a number of awards. The 20-minute piece was recognized as a finalist in the 2007 International Health and Medical Media Award competition known as the FREDDIE, in the prevention category. The FREDDIE honor (http://www.thefreddies.com/) is billed as the Oscar of medical/health films.

Recently, the documentary was honored with two 2008 Telly Bronze Awards, in the health and wellness and social issues categories. The documentary A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message was among 14,000 entries received for the 29th Annual Telly Award judging.

“I am truly pleased the documentary is recognized as a 2008 Telly Award winner for its approach in capturing the Ugandan efforts to stop the African AIDS scourge,” said Producer/Director Hatfield. “Using video, photography and the written word to tell the story was a creative challenge I undertook in hopes of sharing the unique musical effort with the world.”

A 2008 Videographer Award of Distinction winner, A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message was filmed entirely in Kampala, Uganda in early 2007 and is screening at various national and international film festivals through 2008.

Clips of the documentary aired on CNN International during a 2007 broadcast of the Africa affairs program Inside Africa with host Femi Oke, and interviews with Producer/Director Hatfield taped in Atlanta, home of CNN. Comcast broadcasted a story in the United States on its network show Art Fennell Reports, also airing clips of the documentary in 2007 along with an extensive interview and commentary with Producer/Director Hatfield.

“The mixing of the Ugandan music artists and medical, health professionals to raise awareness about preventing AIDS was a story I hoped would reach the world,” said Producer/Director Hatfield, who is based in Old City. “It was a privilege and honor to document A Little Bit of Love, allowing more people to hear these important HIV/AIDS prevention messages, rapped or sung in song.”

The Ugandan people are affected deeply by HIV/AIDS in their communities. Stories about lost loved ones, women sexually violated by husbands and becoming infected to Africans living in silence with HIV and dying anonymously were all part of the fabric that led to the making of A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message. These experiences witnessed in everyday East African life led to the cooperation of the Ugandan musicians who worked with medical/health personnel to create HIV/AIDS prevention messages rapped and sung in song. In the documentary, the musicians share their altruistic reasons for joining the unique musical effort.

For more about the documentary visit: http://www.albolmovie.com/.