''Diana's Hair Ego'' is an American documentary film about

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

and one unconventional woman's efforts to educate her small, Southern community. While documenting an AIDS quarantine controversy in South Carolina with

DIVA TV Diva TV was a British TV channel owned by Universal Networks International, which launched on Sky in the UK and Ireland on channel 269 at midday on 1 October 2007. It aired shows such as ''The Late Show With David Letterman'', ''The Oprah Winfr ...

(Damned Interfering Video Activist TV), filmmaker

Ellen Spiro Ellen Spiro is an American documentary filmmaker. She is a producer and director of the television documentary '' Are the Kids Alright?'', which won an Emmy Award in 2005. Spiro is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where she h ...

met DiAna DiAna, a local hairdresser who transformed her beauty parlor into a center for AIDS and

safe sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer ...

information. Dubbed "the little video that could" on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, ''Diana’s Hair Ego'' traveled the world, premiering at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

and at International Public Television Conference (INPUT) in Dublin. It was the first small format video to be broadcast on national television. ''Diana's Hair Ego'' was reviewed in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' as "addressing AIDS and sexuality with refreshing directness and humor without losing touch with its serious subject matter." The

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Jo ...

called it "the activist documentary of the '90s” and ''The

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' called it a “terrific portrait of a remarkable woman”.3 Carr, Jay.
Highlights of Boston Festival.
''The Boston Globe''. 1990-7-15. Retrieved on 2007-6-20.

Awards

*Documentary Achievement Award, Motion Picture Society *First Prize, National Black Programming Consortium Prized Pieces (1991) *Juror's Award, Black Maria Film and Video Festival (1991) *Silver Apple Award, National Educational Film and Video Festival (1991) *Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival (1991) *Australian International Video Festival, Honorable Mention (1991) *Atlanta Film and Video Festival, Best Activist Video Award (1990) *Louisville Film and Video Festival, Special Merit Award (1990) *Charlotte Film and Video Festival, Silver Medal Award (1990) *International Television Association, Finalist, Videofest '90s

Articles

Montegomery, Matt.
AIDS Videos Document History of Grass Roots Organization.
''Emory Report''. 1995–12. Retrieved on 2007-6-27.
Turning a Salon into 'A Salon.
''Media Rights: Media That Matters''. 2003-1-22. Retrieved on 2007-6-27.

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Official Website Documentary films about HIV/AIDS American short documentary films 1991 films 1991 short documentary films Films directed by Ellen Spiro Films shot in South Carolina Culture of Columbia, South Carolina History of Columbia, South Carolina 1990s English-language films HIV/AIDS in American films 1990s American films English-language short documentary films