Safe Harbor/AIDS Archive Collection

Overview

The Safe Harbor/AIDS Archive contains material related to the making of the Safe Harbor documentary directed by Catherine Russo, a 22 minute video produced from many interviews with Provincetown AIDS survivors and community caregivers.   When the HIV/AIDS epidemic came ashore in the early 1980’s, Provincetown was thrust to the forefront of this nation’s response to this unnamed, undiagnosed, untreatable and lethal viral infection.  The town became a model of a community coming together in a crisis to take care of each other.  This first production focuses on the first decade, 1983-93.  A 90 minute documentary is in production that will include this first decade and continue up to the present.  An important part of the project will be the organization and maintenance of an archive that includes the materials filmed and collected. The Provincetown Library will be the repository for the materials used in the production of the documentary, many of the documents and photographs are included here in this collection.