of free antiretroviral drugs to some three million people. Antiretroviral drugs, when taken regularly, are able to restore vitality to HIV-positive people, enabling them to lead normal lives. Executive producer Jonze asked Bangs to direct the documentary, as Jonze was still busy completing Where the Wild Things Are. Bangs then made three journeys to Africa in 2009 to make the film, determined "to let the people speak for themselves, rather than have a lot of earnest Western talking heads". Explaining the film concept to the Portland Mercury, Bangs said: "I've seen enough horrible documentaries that objectify people or assign them victimhood status. That was pretty appalling to me, and was not the film I wanted to make. I wanted to talk to people directly and get them to open up and be funny or goofy or whatever personality traits they have that don't usually come out in AIDS documentaries." Bangs said he was profoundly moved by his experience in Africa: "I had lost friends and teachers to AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses, but at least in the West the drugs are available. In Africa I was shocked at how skeletal our interviewees’ faces were, how their eyes bulged from their sockets. After just a few months on their drugs they were transformed." The film's title is based on the Biblical story of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, and echoes the feelings of those who recovered thanks to drug therapy. Promotion U2 singer Bono helped promote the documentary and associated campaign, and gathered a group of A-List celebrities to make an advertisement for it. This featured short scenes, filmed by French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, with stars like Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ludacris and others showing the trivial items that can be bought for US$0.40. The documentary itself premiered at the New York Museum of Modern Art on May 4, 2010. Constance Mudenda and Concillia Muhau, two of the women portrayed in the film, travelled to New York for the premiere. The documentary was screened on HBO and Channel 4 on May 24, 2010, and also placed on YouTube. Reception The "Watch This" column in The Guardian stated, "It's hard to imagine that there could be a positive story to be told about HIV in Africa – if there is, however, The Lazarus Effect is probably it." Paul Whitelaw, writing in The Scotsman, called the film "a surprisingly uplifting and quirk-free