Screening of "deepsouth" Brings Filmmaker Lisa Biagiotti to Ole Miss

by: Karson, Mallory, Amber, and Jared  

A screening of "deepsouth," a documentary about the soaring number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in the south was shown Tuesday, March 26 at the Overby Center

The film chronicled the lives of four people: Josh, who had been infected with HIV, Monica and Tamela, who host an annual retreat for infected persons, and Alabama AIDS activist Kathie Hiers.

It took the director and producer, journalist Lisa Biagiotti, three years to finish. In her film, there is not a single expert opinion, though it is based on various research studies. Rather, Biagiotti said she chose to take a different route with her documentary by using the visual medium of film to create a more personal experience for her audience. Instead of statistics, Biagiotti focuses on the environment that people infected with HIV/AIDS  live with in the south.

“HIV is a social illness,” said Biagiotti. “Where I found higher rates of HIV I found higher rates of poverty.”

In addition to being part of the post-screening panel, Biagiotti also visited journalism classes throughout the day. She spoke to students about her personal involvement with the film and gave advice for future independent journalists.

“I saw an opportunity to tell a real story on a tired topic,” said Biagiotti. “I’m really interested in underreported stories and looking at things in different ways. I worked in mainstream media and it’s not as satisfying as going out and having access to people’s lives.”

Lisa Biagiotti fielding questions from the audience after the screening of "deepsouth." 

Biagiotti and members from the film field questions from Robert Nylander of the McClain Institute during the post-screening panel. (From Left: Robert Nylander, Cedric Sturdevant, Joshua Alexander, and Lisa Biagiotti)

A Region in Crisis

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, obesity, poverty, teen pregnancy and HIV are continuously rising, especially in this state: Mississippi.

Lisa Biagiotti, an independent journalist and filmmaker, recently finished production of the documentary, “Deepsouth.” The documentary explores the HIV epidemic in the rural American South.

“I discovered that HIV in the South is really symptomatic of a fragile place with broken social infrastructure,” said Biagiotti in an interview for the Oxford American. “We also cover some really sensitive topics in this film: molestation, rape, homophobia, poverty, slavery, race, religion, education, and rural America.”

Biagiotti’s experiences, research and an interview with an infectious-disease doctor in Mississippi, led her to conclude that HIV in the South is more than a disease. It’s a social illness. 

“He had to worry about whether his patients had transportation, electricity, and a stable home environment to actually take the drugs,” she said. “It’s the same virus, but HIV is a different disease in the South, therefore the lessons of the last thirty years and successes in urban areas cannot be replicated in a place where culture and society are so different.”

According to Biagiotti, the drastically high rates of HIV, STDs, obesity and teen pregnancy all stem from one primary issue: poverty.

Poverty is the root of many issues in the rural South. Without proper funding for schools, students are deprived of a proper education, especially sex education. 

In addition to poverty, laws in Mississippi require students to learn abstinence-based sex education, which is why so many teens, clueless about the consequences of unprotected sex, end up pregnant or with STDs. 

In some districts, using terms like “condom” is a fireable offense.

Edited version  

A Region In Crisis

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, obesity, poverty, teen pregnancy and HIV have the highest rates in one state: Mississippi.

Lisa Biagiotti, an independent journalist and filmmaker, recently finished production of the documentary, “Deepsouth.” The documentary explores the HIV epidemic in the rural American South.

“I discovered that HIV in the South is really symptomatic of a fragile place with broken social infrastructure,” said Biagiotti in an interview for the Oxford American. “We also cover some really sensitive topics in this film: molestation, rape, homophobia, poverty, slavery, race, religion, education, and rural America.”

Biagiotti’s experiences, research and an interview with an infectious-disease doctor in Mississippi led her to conclude that HIV in the South is more than a disease. It’s a social illness. 

“He had to worry about whether his patients had transportation, electricity, and a stable home environment to actually take the drugs,” she said. “It’s the same virus, but HIV is a different disease in the South, therefore the lessons of the last thirty years and successes in urban areas cannot be replicated in a place where culture and society are so different.”

According to Biagiotti, the drastically high rates of HIV, STDs, obesity and teen pregnancy all stem from one primary issue: poverty.

Poverty is the root of many issues in the rural South. Without proper funding for schools, students are deprived of a proper education, especially sex education. 

In addition to poverty, laws in Mississippi require students to learn abstinence-based sex education, which is why so many teens, clueless about the consequences of unprotected sex, end up pregnant or with STDs. 

In some districts, using terms like “condom” is a fireable offense. 

AIDS- the new perspective

Film maker and journalist, Lisa Biagiotti introduced her new film ‘Deepsouth’ at the University of Mississippi yesterday evening at the Overby Center. The film ‘Deepsouth’ follows three stories that have a connection in some form or fashion to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the southern region. 

Biagiotti said that her experience with this film was life changing. “I stumbled across this story through stats,” says Biagiotti. Biagotti explains that she wanted the story to be different from any other documentary done on HIV/AIDS. 

This documentary is more of the effect of the disease from a social view of the south. “Activism in the south than anywhere else,” Biagiotti said.

Biagiotti traveled throughout the south talking to over 400 people to find the angle that she was going with for the story. Her first story was on a college student who lives a homosexual lifestyle and also has HIV/AIDS. He struggles through the everyday realities of the disease and the lifestyle that he lives. The second story is based upon two best friends who have a retreat for people who suffer from HIV/AIDS. The story follows them through the weekend of the retreat. The final story follows a women from Alabama who activates for better funding in the south for HIV/AIDS. She attends different conferences, seminars, and panels discussing her frustrations. Each story shows the social and economical struggles of those in the south suffering from the disease or speaking out against it.

This is Lisa Biagiotti first big independent film, “The films budget was only 7,000 dollars,” Biagiotti said. She explains that with this film she had nothing but time. She wanted people to see the truth behind the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the south.

Machael, Chandler, Jeffery, Amanda 

Deepsouth and Lisa Biagiotti

Quaker Hefner

Zach Schwartzman 

Khadijah Lacey

Bradon Skaggs

Journalist and filmmaker Lisa Biagiotti sheds new light on a tired topic in her new documentary “Deepsouth.”

Lisa Biagiotti’s new film, “Deepsouth” focuses on the HIV epidemic affecting the American south.  Biagiotti was driven to investigate this matter when she found shocking statistics about HIV and the south while researching the virus’s ties to Jamaica.  The film ‘Deepsouth” strives to show the reality of living with HIV in a place that has stigmatized it into something uncomfortable and taboo.  Biagiotti interviews people who are closely related to and affected by the virus and allows them to show what it’s really like living with something so many people know so little about.  This film shows us that what we think we know about HIV is inaccurate.  It represents the atypical and unheard of story of living with HIV.

Biagiotti explained that in doing her first independent film she did not know what to expect.  She had to “unlearn” what she initially thought she knew about HIV and those affected. 

Biagiotti explained how people’s lack of awareness and urgency is fueling the HIV epidemic taking place in the “deep south.”  Exploring HIV in this region tells a new story about the virus that people aren’t used to hearing or seeing.  It’s a new and underreported spin on HIV and those living with it. “Things in the south don’t change fast, there is a level of ignorance in the south. Even in state health departments,” Biagiotti said. 

Lisa Biagiotti, independent journalist, shares her tips and tricks using twitter and multimedia to journalism students at Ole Miss.

Lisa Biagiotti shows a clip from her documentary "Deepsouth" explaining that she had to "unlearn" preconceived ideas about HIV/AIDs.

Lisa Biagiotti Picture and cutline

Lisa Biagiotti, independent journalist and filmmaker, enthusiastically speaks to students about what it is was like to produce her short documentary, deepsouth. She explains how HIV is a social illness in the south and may never be cured.

Lisa Biagiotti Visits Journalism 271 Class

Lisa Biagiotti, director of "Deepsouth", laughs as she recounts a story from her filming a scene, involving a Mississippi school teacher, who was teaching a Sexual Education course but was afraid to use the word "sex" in her class because of her fear of being fired.

Lisa Biagiotti thoughtfully answers a student's question that pertained to her views on social injustice in the south.  She answers a difficult question honestly and calmly showing her passion for the subject at hand and a desire to address the problem.

Oxford Book Conference

Rob Griffith, recipient of the Lily Peter award, entertains the Oxford Book Conference audience by reading his autobiographical poems that are filled with emotions. Before reading his poems, he gives background as to what the poems are about. One of his works, called 33, is a poem he wrote for his wife's 33rd birthday. Instead of having an upbeat and optimistic tone it is written with a tone filled with remorse and resistance to turning another year older. "Your birthday’s come around again, and  can think of nothing  but those 33s collecting dust behind the stair." 

  

Nicole Cooley and Rob Griffith sit down for an interview after reading their works to the Oxford Book Conference audience. The audience members had that opportunity to ask questions to the poets. One question asked was "please explain how research helps your write your poems." Nicole answered, "it helps refreshes my language and ultimately leads me back to my personal self." Rob Griffith answered, "sometimes when I research I have to force myself to stop because I could do it for days and day. I ultimately, however, find that research leads me back to myself, as well." 

Oxford Conference for the Books

Award winning author and poet Nicole Cooley, explains her poem "September Notebook" during the Oxford Conference for the Books, held in the Overby Center at The University of Mississippi. Cooley stated that she is still teaching while she publishes her poems. 

 "I'm teaching documentary poetics right now," she stated during the conference. 

Robert Griffith reads his poem, "Adam After Eve," during the Oxford Conference for the Books. Griffith explained his methods for writing after reading this poem. 

"I figured I'd start with something fun," he stated. "I enjoy working with characters and personas."

Oxford Conference for the Books

Lily Peter Award winner, Robert Griffith, read his poem "33"at the Oxford Conference for the Book held in the Overby Center at Farley Hall. "Your voice is starlight in the dark and I can't help but think God is dumb." Griffith wrote this poem in dedication to his wife and this poem, like many of his others, takes a comedic route as he describes his love for his wife.

Nicole Cooley reads from her poem "September Notebook". A poem that highlights the tragic experience of  9/11, as well as, Hurricane Katrina. "Once upon a time, there were two September in two cities," read Cooley. "the one of the towers on fire and the one of the floodwaters rising."

Ole Miss Book Conference

Nicole Cooley, an award-winning American poet, reads from her work “What We Were Told” at the Overby Center in Farley Hall on Friday March 21, 2013. She reads, “Dear damage, I had my first date here, come home”, about the Post-It notes that were posted on Camilla Grill after Katrina in New Orleans.

Robert Griffith, recipient of the Lily Peter award, reads from his poem “Adam After Eve” at the Overby Center in Farley Hall on Friday, March 21, 2013.

2013 Oxford Conference for the book

Rob Griffith describing how he feels that "poems are thought experiences." Rob talks about his love for horror movies, specifically zombie movies and how he is fascinated with the thought of "how the world can be transformed over night,"while reading his poem "When the Zombies Come."

Nicole Cooley reading her poem "September Notebook." Cooley explains that this poem is her personal accounts of what it was like for her living in New York City during September 11th, as well as what life was like for her parents living in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina. 

Oxford conference for the book

Nicole Cooley as she reads from her poem 'What were we told to do'. It is a reflection

of her past in New Orleans. "It opened back up, but i wonder what happened to the post

 it notes," said Cooley after she was done reading the poem. "Did they keep them?"

                             Robert Griffith as he reads from his poem 'When the zombies come'.
                                Griffith claims to love zombie movies. "When the zombies come,
                                                           I'll be ready." said Griffith

           

The 20th annual Oxford Conference for the Book

Robert Griffith reads his poetry at the Oxford Conference for the Book.  "I like working as characters or personas, because they let me hide," said Griffith to the audience.

From left to right, Nicole Cooley, Robert Griffith, and Beth Ann Fennelly answer the audience's questions and comments at the Oxford Conference for the Book.

Memorable moments at the Oxford Conference for the Book

Robert Griffith reads his poem "Adam after Eve" at the Oxford Conference for the Book.  He jokes while reading, "I like working with characters.  It allows me to hide."  

Nicole Cooley describes her childhood in New Orleans before reading her poem "September Notebook."  Cooley was emotional about sharing this particular poem, "It's really about living in New York City during September 11 and my parents living in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina."

Inside the Oxford Conference for the Book 2013

Nicole Cooley reads several poems inspired by her childhood in New Orleans. One recalls the notes posted outside of a local restaurant that closed after Hurricane Katrina. "I had my first date here," Cooley reads one note. This is one of the touching poems inspired by Colley's hometown of 

New Orleans.

Robert Griffith responds to Beth Ann Fennely's advice for overcoming writer's block.

"I don't have to swing for the fences as they say in baseball every single time I'm up to bat," Griffith says. "Sometimes I'm just gonna have to bunt." 

Oxford Conference for the Book 2013

Poet Nicole Cooley reads from "What We Were Told to Do," showing how she draws from personal experiences to Crete her artwork. The poem draws from notes written on post-its stuck to a restaurant damaged in Hurricane Katrina. "Dear Damage," she reads. "I had my first date here. Please come home."

Poet Rob Griffith reads from his poem "For Young Husband Going Deaf." His poetry takes a more light-hearted approach to the art, making fun of his relationship with his wife. "Your meat is bun ready. Go forth and cockfight," Griffith says in explanation of what he hears when his wife speaks to him.

Moments of the Oxford Conference for the Book

Nichole Cooley reads new, unpublished poetry about marriage from the view of the wife and mother at the Oxford Conference for the Book on March 21, 2013.  The poem exerts feelings of indifference to her "children's empty sippy cups and to the cheap florescent lights" that fill her home and life.

Beth Ann Fennelly listens to Nichole Cooley's poetry reading at the Oxford Conference for the Book, in Oxford, Miss.  In this particular moment Cooley is reading "her love letter to the Camellia Grill (a popular 24 hour diner in New Orleans)."  In the poem Cooley laments that the Grill's "milkshakes bring all the boys to yard."

Poynter twitter

Poynter Institute is a non- profit school for journalism located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The institution started in 1975 by the owner and chairman of the St.Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times) and Times Publishing Company, Nelson Poynter. Poynter’s twitter (@Poynter) stays very active every day with four different people feeding out tweets to their followers. Some examples of the articles I read were “tips on how to experiment with social media”, “common writing problems and why you can’t get it ‘perfect’”, “how news app teams get people to trust them”, and “how talking about race isn’t racist”. I think that this news team specifically searches for more interesting approaches to grab people’s attention. They seem to relate more to our generation of young people by putting a spin on what is newsworthy by discussing lighter topics but with a professional approach. 

Journalist's Toolbox Tweets

The most recent tweets by Journalist's Toolbox have been helpful tweets. There have been many different retweets on how to improve your writing. He's also been tweeting articles from different sources, not just his own. Yesterday he retweeted an article by DePaul University that was on the topic of gun control. The article went in depth about the gun control violence in Chicago. He also retweeted an article about 22 rules for journalists. It gives a humorous insight on what journalism is truly about. It covers topics such as writing, reporting, and law and ethics.

New York Times Lens Tweets

My assigned twitter'er is the New York Times Lens, which is basically the photographers association of the NYT, if you want to think of it that way. They post pictures that they've taken of general and breaking news events, as well as award-winning photos they they've taken also. It's actually very interesting if you enjoy looking at or taking photos, and I click nearly every link they  tweet out.

As an example, on 9/11 anniversaries, they will post pictures of the events that happened, and also show photos of the memorial and lights, as well as any ongoing construction on the site.

BuzzFeed Tweets

BuzzFeed is a an online news source that focuses on "pop culture" news and is very dependent on viral content.  The latest tweets and stories have all been related to the new version of Facebook that was announced today.  The posts clearly show the changes that are being made to one's Facebook page and demonstrate the differences between the new and current versions.  In general I think that BuzzFeed does a good job of staying true to its mission.  It offers content from a wide range of topics that are found in pop culture.  While I certainly don't read every link that BuzzFeed tweets out to its followers, I have found a large number of their links to be entertaining.  I wouldn't ever use it as a primary news source, but I have found it useful as a pop culture reference.  These stories have offered good talking material for my radio show, as it helps show the pulse of what the masses are interested.

Niemen Lab Tweets: K. Brandenburg

The most recent tweet by NiemenLab was about news apps that predict what kind of news you want to read based on location, time, and other factors. Personally, I hate this idea because I usually check my apps for global news, not Oxford or Louisville news. Generally, I read the paper for local news. However, for most people I think this could be a good idea, because many people check their apps for local news. It is more convenient than searching through the content in an app. NiemenLab does not seem to keep up with world events--they tweet only about journalism and new media. I feel like they could get more followers if they were more connected with the news.

Karson Brandenburg

Al Jazeera English Tweets

Al Jazeera English is a world news organization covering a wide spectrum of news topics. Recently they have been tweeting a great deal about the death of Venezuela's leader Hugo Chavez, and what his death will mean for the future of Venezuela. Also, because today is "Womens Day" Al Jazeera English has been tweeting about women who have made global changes to the world today, along with questioning whether women are better off in the world today then they were in the way society has been in the past? Al Jazeera English also tweets about the current human and animal rights issues that are of essence now. Today they tweeted about how many elephants in Thailand were being slaughtered because there is a loophole hunters use in order to justify killing elephants to sell ivory from their tusks. Overall, I believe Al Jazeera English is a great source to get your source of trending topics in world news.

John Dickerson Tweets

      John Dickerson has recently been tweeting about different pieces of campaign literature.  He asked his twitter followers which books written by political figures helped them gain popularity during a campaign.  He mentions Obama, McCain, and Biden as the top three that have actually worked.  In another tweet I found it amusing that he used the hashtag "TrollingHard," in response to someone's interaction with him and was going against his opinion.  Normally Dickerson is very open minded and allows his followers their own right to an opinion, but the response I read from a recent tweet might just change my view on that.  That is all for now.

AP Stylebook Tweets

The AP Stylebook is great about tweeting style updates and tips for journalists.  Yesterday it tweeted about how to write defense: regardless of gender, you should always write "man-to-man" defense.  It also tweeted on how to write about shooting goals in basketball emphasizing that players shoot field goals, not floor goals, even in basketball.  The AP Stylebook does an excellent job of keeping in touch with its followers and is very good about tweeting anyone back that tweets at them with a question or AP style concern.  The twitter is an easy way to inquire into AP style without having to look at or buy an actual stylebook.  The twitter has a very helpful and friendly tone to it.  All journalist should follow this twitter!

Jay Rosen Twitter

Jay Rosen is constantly tweeting links to news articles. Today, he tweeted about his views on the conservative movement, eating dinner with the editors of the Telegraph, and the differences in web journalism and free-lancing. His tweets seem to be very appealing to the college or young adult crowd. In his tweet about free-lancing and web journalism, he states that it is easier to earn money through web journalism for a year rather than free-lancing. He also likes to tag other users such as companies in his tweets. Overall, Rosen is a very effective tweeter. He gets the message across in a few short words and definitely makes you want to click on the link to the article.

Scott Simon NPR

Scott Simon's tweets are a mixture of personal tweets, thanking people, and giving information he has heard. Some are his tweets about himself are funny like when he talks about his kids, but are sort of unnecessary to everyone else. Also he re-tweets a lot of peoples tweets about events and also quotes. I feel like he needs to give more informational tweets about his broadcast on NPR. I do like his tweets but I wish they gave a little more about what is going on in his news cast.

Tweets on Deck

OK, so, speaking of The NY Times' David Carr (@carr2n), he's one of the media people I routinely follow on Twitter. He's always interesting, engaging and not shy about passing along articles and stories of interest to us folks in journalism and new media. Why, just the other day, he tweeted the link to this article about the dismal compensation paid (or not) to online freelance journalists.  

BREAKING: The promise of your online story getting massive exposure doesn't pay the bills. (But a check does.)

JOUR 271 students! Your assignment is due here by 2:30 p.m. Thursday, 7 March. What's up with the folks you're following on Twitter?