Behind the Numbers

Behind the Numbers is an ongoing short-film series that highlights people working on the tuberculosis (TB) and HIV epidemics. The purpose of the project is to coordinate the individual battles fought in the TB and HIV epidemic s and show that each person has a role in overcoming them.

There is too much discoordination among the various disciplines in tuberculosis, and we must realize that each individual faces a much different epidemic than the next: patients pervieve the epidemic much differently than researchers, and policymakers confront different issues than clinic managers. Unifying these battles, however, is paramount to successfully overcoming the TB epidemic. Behind the Numbers will consist of a wide-ranging collection of short films (3-5 minutes) which profile various individuals and their role in overcoming the TB epidemic. Importantly, however, these short films will not be an ‘informational video,’ but rather an intimate portrait of the individual’s life as a whole. We will see the researcher who loves ballet, or the World Health Organization official who has trouble feeding their newborn child. This will not only highlight the individual battles fought in the TB epidemic, but it will also create stories that inspire us, entertain us, and show that we are all connected as human beings. By connecting the individual efforts in global TB control through the prism of life and humanity, the project hopes to inspire those of us working in TB to continue fighting our individual battles.

The project is advocacy for the advocates. The fight against global tuberculosis is daunting, and many people are overwhelmed in the endless statistics. With all of the numbers, too many become weary, jaded, and perceive the battle against tuberculosis as too difficult to overcome It is all too easy to lose hope. The Project will not reiterate or focus on the data and epidemiology of TB, but rather the specific challenges associated with an individual’s work. It will make a complex network of individual battles simple and human. It will hope to build a unifying camaraderie among advocates, researchers, care providers, and the many other roles in the field of TB control. However, with arresting cinematography and compelling stories, the project also hopes to attract a wide range of viewers.