Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

I just saw an extraordinary film.

Documentary filmmaker Louise Hogarth is about to release her new project, Angels in the Dust, through Participant Productions. I was honored to receive an advance copy of the film from Louise, and spent this evening in the company of some of the most phenomenal - and heroic - people I have met in a long, long time.

Angels tells the story of one of the most painful epidemics of our lifetime: the journey of countless children in Africa who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Lousie's documentary looks at the amazing work of Marion Clote, a mother who has sacrificed so much in her own life to care for many of Africa's orphans at Botshabelo, a refuge for the children living with HIV/AIDS.

Marion and her children are heroic; Louise's film is a triumph.

The film will be screening at festivals during the coming year and, if my critique is any indication, will become a phenom when it premieres. You can view the trailer online, and read more about the project. And if the film makes it to your city, do not miss the chance to experience it for yourself. It is 90 minutes that will remain with you for a lifetime.

Louise's next project is a documentary about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." If Angels is any indication, it could move the debate about that issue forward by leaps and bounds.

- Steve Ralls