Keith Haring was a socially conscious artist whose work often reflected his position on social issues. He sought to raise awareness of AIDS, a disease which would claim Haring’s life in 1990. In honor of the exhibition Keith Haring: Radiant Vision, we invite you to join The Nick and The Columbia Museum of Art for a film screening that explores the complex relationship of art and the impact of HIV/AIDS.
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. Following the screening, filmmakers Luke Hodges and Matt Nadel discuss their process in making the film and the lasting impact of AIDS in the art world today.
Matt Nadel is a documentary filmmaker born and raised in Florida, now based in Brooklyn. Much of his work focuses on gender, sexuality, and law. His latest documentary short, CANS Can’t Stand, follows a group of Black trans women in New Orleans fighting to repeal Louisiana’s unjust Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) law. CANS Can’t Stand premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival Emerging Filmmaker Showcase and has screened at Outfest (Audience Award), NewFest (Audience Award), Provincetown Film Festival (Special Jury Prize), Out on Film Atlanta (Jury and Audience Prizes), and New Orleans Film Festival, among others. His other work–including 120 YEARS, which won Best Short Documentary at the Pan African Film Festival, the U.S.’s largest Black film festival–has been showcased by The Marshall Project, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and more than a dozen film festivals. In addition to his independent work, Matt is an investigative fellow at the Yale Investigative Reporting Lab.
Luke Hodges is a filmmaker based in New York City, with roots in Columbia, South Carolina. He is the co-founder of Nine Patch Pictures, a documentary production company focused on queer stories. Nine Patch’s first film Cashing Out – about a controversial AIDS-era industry where dying gay men sold their life insurance policies to investors – is distributed by The New Yorker, and has screened at DOC NYC and the Provincetown International Film Festival, among others. The film is executive produced by Oscar nominee Julie Cohen (RBG). His latest documentary short, Odd Man In (executive produced by Oscar winner Caroline Waterlow, OJ: Made in America), will premiere in 2026 on PBS’ Independent Lens.
This screening is in partnership with the Columbia Museum of Art.
2024. 40 min.
