Highly Recommended

Mark de Solla Price passed this on after receiving from his friend, Fred Hersch:

I have seen this and think it is an extraordinary, moving and vitally important film that everyone should see. Thanks for considering... Best, Fred

A Closer Walk, Oscar nominee Robert Bilheimer's film about the global AIDS epidemic, airs on PBS Thursday August 31st, 9:00-10:30 pm ET, marking the documentary's U.S. television debut.

Narrated by Glenn Close and Will Smith, A Closer Walk features interviews with the Dalai Lama, Bono and Kofi Annan, with musical contributions by Annie Lennox, the Neville Brothers, Eric Clapton and Sade.

Filmed on four continents over a period of three years, A Closer Walk depicts the harsh realities of global AIDS, and explores the intricate relationship between health, dignity and human rights.

"This is a story about the way the world is" says Close in the opening line of the program's narration. The film's rendering of the world through the prism of AIDS takes the viewer to locations in the United States, Ukraine, Uganda, South Africa, India and Haiti, and offers deeply personal stories of children, women and men around the world affected by the disease. Those
caring or advocating for people living with AIDS are featured prominently in the film as well. They include Dr. Paul Farmer of Partners in Health, India's Dr. Suniti Solomon and Prof. Jeffrey Sachs of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Speaking of his approach to the film and its complex subject matter, director Bilheimer said, "When I interviewed [UNAIDS Executive Director] Peter Piot early on, I was really struck by his insight that 'AIDS is part of the human condition,' and that 'AIDS exists because we exist.' When Peter said that, I knew that A CLOSER WALK should indeed be a film about the way
the world is, and that my colleagues and I would need to be in and of the world for a period of time to truly understand what AIDS is doing to us all."

The film has received international critical acclaim. Writing for the Gannett News Service, chief film critic Jack Garner gave A Closer Walk his highest rating, calling it a "beautifully told story of suffering that inspires hope and action." In South Africa, reviewing the film prior to its
national airing on South African television, Claire Keaton of the Sunday Times called the film "unforgettable." In New Delhi, following the film's India premiere, Rajeshwari Sharma of the Economic Times said that A Closer Walk is "an absolutely brilliant account of the deadliest plague humankind has ever known."