A Filipina former actress battles the societal stigmas and personal challenges of living with HIV, while nurturing her bond with her gay son, who was born HIV positive. Against a backdrop of prejudice and hardship, their journey is defined by unwavering tenderness, resilience, and the profound strength.

Director Biography - Timothy Guion Smith

Typing my bio in third person for a project you have already gleaned I am spearheading feels weird. I'll try first person! NEXT OF KIN marks my first time directing. Although LA is my current home, my real home will always be NYC, where I was born at Staten Island University Hospital (yes, we used to drop my mom off at the Staten Island Ferry to the tune of Carly Simon's Let the River Run for her commute in the 1990s) and went on to receive my BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

As an actor, previous credits include multiple New Media Series and Short Films that have played at film festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Africa--including Nashville FF, Shriekfest, and Rincón International FF. Previous stage: INCITATION TO DANCE at Theatre West in LA and originating the role of Toddy in the then Broadway bound musical AMAZING GRACE. Absolutely thrilled and honored to be sharing a story near and dear to my heart. Endless gratitude to the rest of the NOK Team.

Director Statement

Twenty six years after the advent of lifesaving antiretroviral therapies, the seminal stories about HIV/AIDs still dwell overwhelmingly on the darkest and most acute phase of the pandemic. Although an HIV diagnosis had long ago ceased to be a death sentence, Hollywood seems almost reluctant to break new ground. We find in contemporary film and television few examples of work that reflects the social progress of the intervening quarter century while scrutinizing the persistence of HIV stigma as experienced in the 1980s - 1990s, in our era. Furthermore, the changing and diverse faces of the “poz undetectable” —those living with chronic and managed HIV—should also include depictions of poz women and children born with HIV, who are not merely surviving but thriving.

Fulfilling a promise I made to myself when I came out about my own HIV status to family, friends, and coworkers over social media, NEXT OF KIN offers one story of what it means to be living with HIV in the early 2020s, and the Poz-phobic stigma that still pervades queer, trans, and straight spaces today.

Timothy Guion Smith, Filmmaker and Actor