National AIDS Memorial partners with award-winning filmmaker Matt Nadel, director of the forthcoming documentary Cashing Out, to connect young people with critical AIDS history and preserve the AIDS Memorial Quilt
National AIDS Memorial is the U.S.’s leading steward of HIV/AIDS history. By sharing the story of the struggle against HIV/AIDS, we remember, in perpetuity, the lives lost; we offer healing and hope to survivors; and we inspire new generations of activists in the fight against stigma, denial, and hate for a just future.
But as long-term survivors (LTS) of the early AIDS epidemic move toward retirement, we are faced with a new challenge: making HIV/AIDS history accessible to young people—that is, equipping them with the knowledge and passion to become guardians of AIDS history and HIV-conscious leaders in their communities.
To meet this challenge, National AIDS Memorial is partnering with award-winning director Matt Nadel, a Gen Z filmmaker whose forthcoming documentary Cashing Out explores a fascinating, largely forgotten corner of AIDS history to which he has an unlikely personal connection.
Join us for the theatrical release of Cashing Out – Dec 13-19th
Location: Firehouse: DCTV's Cinema for Documentary Film
87 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10013
Website for Schedule/Tickets: www.cashingout.nyc
Promo Code: NAM community members can get 20% off their tickets using the following promo code: youngarts
About Cashing Out
At the height of the AIDS crisis, thousands of people with terminal diagnoses sold their life insurance policies to investors for quick cash. A thought-provoking exploration of this billion-dollar "AIDS profiteering" industry, Cashing Out tells the stories of those who fought for dignity as the world around them crumbled—and spotlights one of the industry’s early investors: the filmmaker’s father.
In the early 1990s, the AIDS epidemic was in its second decade. Unable to work and with few months to live, many people with AIDS negotiated “viatical settlements” to live out their dying days with dignity.
These settlements were simple. People with AIDS sold their life insurance policies to investors and, in exchange, received a portion of their own death benefit upfront. Some used the money for survival, to pay rent or buy medications. Others opted for end-of-life luxury—embarking on lavish trips, buying vacation homes, and starting businesses.
When these patients died, investors received the full value of their policies, often earning healthy profits on a quick turnaround. Critics called it ghoulish profiteering. Advocates called it an imperfect solution in an even more imperfect system.
