Royston Tan making new Aids documentary

COME World Aids Day on December 1, local film-maker Royston Tan will present his new project, a 23-minute documentary on the disease.

Titled 48, it is a sequel to his 2001 half-hour documentary 48 On Aids.

In the earlier documentary , 48 people from all walks of life talk about their impressions, perceptions, prejudices and understanding of the illness. It was shown over Channel News Asia to mark World Aids Day in 2001.

Tan, 34, told The New Paper that he isn't at liberty to reveal more about 48, a project he's currently filming with Action For Aids.

However, he added he intends to distribute DVDs of the documentary to schools and interested parties free of charge in a bid to raise public awareness.

"Singaporeans cannot even talk sex education in school, what more about Aids?" he said.

"That's why I want to do the documentary. But the public doesn't like preachy shows. They want to be shown, not taught, so my project will be more approachable."

This article was first published in The New Paper.