“Pedro” is now out on DVD!

I’m so glad to see the film Pedro, written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by Nick Oceano:, out on DVD.

I hope every young person watches it because Pedro Zamora and the lessons of his life are so worth knowing about and remembering.

Pedro was an HIV-positive Cuban-American whose tine in the Real World house on Lombard Street brought a face to the AIDS crisis. Then-President Bill Clinton, who has taped a special introduction to this film, credited Zamora with personalizing and humanizing those with the disease. Pedro learned he was HIV-positive while a junior in high school. He was just 17 and decided to spend the rest of his life educating people about the disease that claimed his life just five years later.

He died the night the final episode of the season aired which we knew. But I do not think it is well-known how much he suffered in his final months. As America was watching this amazingly articulate young man give HIV-prevention talks in schools, off-screen he could no longer speak. He suffered from PML, a rare and usually fatal viral inflammation of the brain contracted by only about 1 percent of AIDS patients. The film does not shy away from showing his physical deterioration or tensions between his family and his partner.

I watched the movie at the Outfest Fusion event back in March and shed some tears during the screening. In watching this fine film – far better than I had expected going in – it felt like 1994 all over again. I was a far younger man then and I remember spending entire Saturday afternoons watching marathons of the that classic San Francisco season before hitting the gay bars in Long Beach where I lived at the time. I vividly remember key moments and scenes from that season and the film does a remarkable job of recreating those and taking you back to that time.

The DVD includes some episodes from that season of the show and I’m so eager for everyone to see them.

You can get the DVD at all the usual places but I’ll include a link to TLA Releasing for you.

Here are some quotes about Zamora that I got from talking to various participants in the MTV film:

Alex Loynaz, who plays Zamora in the movie: I thought he was a very charming person, immensely brave. He was just such a brave character and a hero. What he did was very important and to this day, he would still want more and more. I think we need to continue and I think that’s why it’s great that this movie is coming out right now. There’s still a lot of work to be done.” [LINK]

Justina Machado, who plays Pedro’s sister Mily in the film: “I remember knowing about it but I wasn’t really into The Real World so it wasn’t until I actually read the script that I found out about his story, A young, beautiful man 17 years old gets AIDS, dies at 23, [AIDS] is still happening and I think this film is going to maybe make people more aware of it and hopefully get involved again like we were back in the 80s and 90s. I think people are going to remember that there’s still an AIDS crisis. I think people have really forgotten about that, it’s kind of been thrown to the wayside and they don’t talk about it. I think it’s really important.” [LINK]

Nick Oceano, director: “What’s really, really meaningful for me is I was this gay, closeted kid in Texas growing up and was 18 when I saw Pedro on The Real World and he had a tremendous impact on me and planted the seed for me to come out,” he said. “And so, to be part of a film that not only continues his legacy but brings the story to a new audience is amazing.” [LINK]

Jon Murray, co-creator of The Real World and producer of Pedro movie: “I remember opening the letter from him saying he wanted to be on The Real World. He was this kid from Miami who wanted a chance to go to San Francisco, he wanted a chance to fall in love and he wanted people to know someone who had HIV. The drama was so real and his story was so profound. When I saw that letter, I not only knew he should be on The Real World, I actually said, ‘This is a movie of the week.’ This kid had come over on the Mariel Boat Lift, his mother had died when he was 14, he had found out he was HIV-positive at a high school blood drive. There was such a story there.” [LINK]

Judd Winick, Zamora’s Real World housemate and close friend: “Pedro gave us this great gift by sharing with everyone his story and it’s really heartening that after all these years, people have gotten together to tell his story yet again – openly and honestly. It’s more than we could hope for.” [LINK]

Pam Ling, Zamora’s Real World housemate and close friend: “I think it’s really thrilling that a whole new generation of young people are going to be able to get to know Pedro’s story and, through the film, get to know him.” [LINK]