While box office disappointment is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of a motion picture, it is surprising to discover a really inspiring movie that initially failed to win over audiences. It is easy for films with a lot of heart to be labeled corny or overly sentimental, which can be one of the things that might prevent such a movie from being a hit. These are 10 films that flopped when they were originally released but still have the power to inspire those who are willing to give them a chance.

Related: 10 Real-Life, Romantic Love Stories from World War II

10 Slow Dancing in the Big City

The 1978 romantic drama Slow Dancing in the Big City is remembered as a huge flop. Overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to achieve an ambition is a major theme that runs through this movie, which also involves the relationship between talented but ailing young ballerina on the cusp of fame, Sarah Gantz, and an earthy, out-of-shape newspaper columnist Lou Friedlander. So it’s no wonder publicity for the film compared it to Rocky, which was such an enormous hit just a few years earlier. The movie actually has many things in common with Rocky,” including the same director, John G. Avildsen, composer Bill Conti, and an underdog storyline.

Slow Dancing in the Big City turned out to be the failure that many people had expected the low-budget Rocky to be. The flaws of Slow Dancing in the Big City are apparent. Lou (Paul Sorvino) generally comes across as a doormat, and the inexperience of newcomer Anne Ditchburn, who plays Sarah, is obvious enough. Additionally, the scaled-back, unrefined style, which was so appealing in Rocky, did not work in this film. However, it is still very watchable and succeeds at inspiring audiences.

As Roger Ebert said, the movie: “cheerfully exists in the world of big hearts and brave tears and happy endings that make you blow your nose. It’s a classic of melodramatic overachievement.”^[1]

9 Author! Author!

Al Pacino received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as playwright Ivan Travalian in the 1982 comedy Author! Author!, but the movie bombed with critics and audiences alike. The plot revolves around Ivan’s efforts to mount his latest play on Broadway while struggling as an unlikely single father to his blended family when his unfaithful wife Gloria (Tuesday Weld) suddenly leaves him and the children. Amid all the chaos, Ivan complicates things further by embarking on an affair with a free-spirited actress, Alice Detroit (Dyan Cannon).

The timing of its release was likely one of the things that hurt this movie at the box office since it was such a big year for blockbuster action flicks like First Blood and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but Author! Author! is far from perfect. One problem is the lack of focus. With so much going on in the story, the audience is as distracted as Ivan himself would have been on a typical day. On the plus side, Pacino’s depiction of Ivan is an impressive and heartwarming departure from his most memorable characters. Ivan’s love and commitment to these otherwise unwanted kids come shining through, and we root for him to succeed as he juggles family life with the theater.^[2]

8 The Rewrite

Hugh Grant has starred in more than his fair share of romantic comedies, and the 2014 film The Rewrite is often labeled as such, but it only partially fits into this category. It is just as much an inspirational movie about comebacks and self-discovery. Grant plays a down-on-his-luck screenwriter, Keith Michaels, whose career started to flounder after penning one legendary hit film many years earlier.

Struggling to pay bills, he reluctantly moves cross country to take a teaching job at Binghamton University in New York, where he is a complete misfit and nearly gets fired for his unorthodox approach. However, Keith is surprised to find that he has a real calling to teach, and he must choose whether to keep the position or accept an opportunity to work in the film industry again.

There’s plenty of humor and a sweet romance between Keith and single mom Holly (Marisa Tomei), but inspiration is at the heart of the story, which is very much about soul searching and starting over in life. Despite being written and directed by Grant’s frequent collaborator Marc Lawrence and featuring an impressive supporting cast, The Rewrite was a major commercial disappointment that mostly drew lukewarm reviews, but when it comes to films that encourage us to explore new horizons, it definitely hits the mark.^[3]

7 Lost in Yonkers

The 1993 dramedy Lost in Yonkers, about a dysfunctional family in WWII-era Yonkers, New York, is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning Neil Simon play and features critically acclaimed performances from Mercedes Ruehl and Irene Worth reprising their Tony-winning stage roles for the screen adaptation. However, all this was not enough to make it a hit at the box office. This film, which follows two adolescent brothers, Jay (Brad Stoll) and Arty (Mike Damus), who are left with their father’s eccentric family one summer, may have been too offbeat to achieve mainstream popularity, but that’s also part of its charm.

The movie, which memorably co-stars Richard Dreyfuss, centers on the boys’ childlike Aunt Bella, who dreams of a home and family of her own, only to be deterred by her tyrannical mother. Lost in Yonkers veers between farcical, poignant, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring as Bella finds independence.^[4]

6 Beautiful

Some of the most inspiring films feature storytelling, which manages to be soul-stirring but not overly sentimental. This is the case with the dramedy Beautiful, starring Minnie Driver as professional beauty pageant contestant Mona. Mona must come to terms with her role as a mother to her young daughter Vanessa (Hallie Eisenberg), mainly being brought up by her roommate Ruby (Joey Lauren Adams), posing as Vanessa’s mom so that Mona can be eligible to compete in the pageants.

However, when Ruby is arrested for a crime she didn’t commit, Mona is forced to take on real maternal responsibility for the little girl and, in so doing, begins to confront issues rooted in her own painful childhood. Though it failed to turn a profit when released in 2000, Beautiful succeeds at being a feel-good movie that powerfully communicates the importance of making family a top priority.^[5]

5 84 Charing Cross Road

The quirky but heartwarming 1987 film 84 Charing Cross Road, starring Anne Bancroft as brash, struggling New York writer Helene Hanff and Anthony Hopkins as her unlikely pen pal, reserved London bookseller Frank Doel, isn’t the type of movie that is expected to be a hit at the box office. It was also fairly predictable that the film would be embraced by critics, considering the impressive cast and critical acclaim of the source material, which was Hanff’s bestselling autobiographical book.

Both of these things came true, but one surprising benefit of watching 84 Charing Cross Road is how inspiring it turns out to be. Helene’s frequent requests for obscure, vintage books and Frank’s skill for obtaining these rare volumes bring them together. It’s very moving to see how these two people, who are so different from one another, form a meaningful long-distance relationship through written correspondence without ever meeting. Knowing this was based on a true story makes it even more inspiring.^[6]

4 Children of Men

Well-made dystopian dramas are often among the most inspiring films, which makes sense considering how easy it is to root for a character who’s trying to save the world. Based on a novel by P.D. James, the 2006 sci-fi action thriller Children of Men is set in a disastrous world where humans have lost the ability to reproduce. Clive Owen stars as Theo Faron, a one-time activist turned cynical bureaucrat, who agrees to take a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.

Julianne Moore plays Theo’s radical ex-girlfriend, Julian, who re-enters his life and compels him to join her in a mission to effect positive change. One of the most inspiring things about this movie is Theo’s transformation from someone who could be seen as symbolic of the growing pessimism in society into a hero who is fighting for the future of humanity.

Despite all the film has to offer in the way of exciting and thought-provoking entertainment, it was not a financial success but did earn plenty of critical acclaim. In a Time Magazone article about Children of Men, the publication praised the work of director Alfonso Cuarón and called the film “a cautious incantation for a hopeful future.”^[7]

3 Dominick and Eugene

The 1988 drama Dominick and Eugene is a raw but uplifting film about the complex relationship between medical student Eugene (Ray Liotta) and his intellectually challenged fraternal twin brother Nicky (Tom Hulce). Nicky is helping to put his brother through school by working as a garbage collector. To Eugene’s new girlfriend, Jennifer (Jamie Lee Curtis), it seems like he is taking advantage of Dominick, but Eugene plans to pay him back once he becomes a brain surgeon by supporting his brother for the rest of his life.

Eugene’s intention to go away for two years to complete an internship at Stanford and other changes threaten the twins’ closeness. Eventually, their bond strengthens through adversity and the exploration of a traumatic past. While it has received a lot of praise, especially for the actors’ performances, this inspiring film was not a financially lucrative project. However, Dominick and Eugene is now considered to be a cult classic.^[8]

2 It’s a Wonderful Life

Given its legacy as one of the greatest Christmas films of all time, a lot of movie fans would be shocked to learn that the now iconic It’s a Wonderful Life was a flop when it premiered in 1947. With its strongly conveyed themes of hope, faith, gratitude, and individual purpose, this fantasy drama is about the suicidal George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), who gets a new lease on life after an angel shows him the valuable impact he’s had on his family and community. It is a prime example of how inspiring some originally unsuccessful films can turn out to be.

However, the film didn’t inspire much when it was first released besides mixed reviews from the critics. Financially, it didn’t even break even, but the picture did get nominated for five Oscars. As with many box office duds that go on to develop a cult following, It’s a Wonderful Life later gained popularity when it was shown on television, leading it to become a holiday tradition.^[9]

1 The Shawshank Redemption

Prison movies aren’t usually particularly inspiring, but The Shawshank Redemption, a 1994 drama starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, is one of the exceptions. A commercial flop when it was first released, this film, written by Stephen King and Frank Darabond and directed by Darabond, lives up to its tagline, “Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.” Robbins plays Andy Dufresne, falsely convicted of murdering his wife and her lover in 1947.

Instead of allowing himself to be eaten up by bitterness at his unjust circumstance, Andy’s positive attitude and compassion see him through the experience, which lasts for more than two decades. Nominated for seven Oscars and many other awards, the critical reception was mainly positive, with reviewers highly praising the movie, especially for its compellingly delivered message of hope and for the impressive performances. The film’s popularity has grown enormously with movie fans and is now considered a cult classic.^[10]

Sacrificing your life for another’s is perhaps the most courageous thing you can do. Here are ten people who did just that, because sometimes you need to know people like that exist. 



Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient and Prince look-a-like 1st Lieutenant John Robert Fox was directing artillery fire in the Italian town of Sommocolonia to stall a German advance. While Fox was directing fire, a large German force moved in on his position.

Realising that this force was a huge threat to his men, Fox called a final artillery strike—on himself.

 When his men eventually retook the position, Fox’s body was found next to approximately 100 dead German troops and a medal was placed neatly on his chest.

The Halifax explosion was a deadly blast that occurred in Nova Scotia, Canada, when a ship laden with ammunition collided with another and the resulting fire grew out of control.



Vincent Coleman—a train operator— was at a nearby station who was in charge of traffic. When he was informed that French munitions ship the Mont–Blanc, was moments away from exploding, Coleman stayed behind to warn a nearby passenger train to stop.  Moments later he was killed by the resulting explosion.

When Air Florida Flight 90 smashed into a frozen lake in the middle of a snowstorm, all but six passengers were killed. Some 20 minutes later, a helicopter arrived to rescue the survivors.

After getting one man to safety, the helicopter threw a life-ring to Arland Williams… who immediately gave it to the passenger next to him. 

When the helicopter came back for a third time, he did the same thing again. And again. When the helicopter came back a final time, Arland was dead. He’d used his last ounce of strength to save a complete stranger.






The siege of Leningrad saw millions starve to death. Of those millions, 12 literally surrounded by things they could eat. They were scientists at the Pavlovsk seed bank. Crippled with hunger, scientists and guards died at their posts.

Peanut specialist, Alexander Stchukin died at his work station, protecting tonnes of food that could easily have saved his and his fellow workers lives. They chose to starve, ensuring that future generations of Russians would be able to eat.



Richard Rescorla was instrumental in the evacuation of thousands of people during the 9/11 attacks. 

As the director of security at Morgan Stanley, Rescorla was a stickler for his building’s safety and held twice-yearly evacuation drills to get people out.

When the attacks happened and the tower next to Rescorla’s was hit, he put his plan into action and calmly instructed people to leave, right up until the moment he was killed. Rescorla’s actions were considered instrumental in the successful evacuation of over 2,500 people. 



Captains Oates’ actions are now considered to be the stuff of legend. During a disastrous mission to the South Pole, Oates sustained crippling injuries that were slowing the team’s progress. Oates pleaded to be left behind, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.



This led to Oates’ legendary final words, “I am just going outside and may be some time,’ after which he left the relative safety of the tent and walked to his death. Sadly, Oates’ sacrifice was in vain as his men also succumbed to the weather just a few miles from their objective. Proof that when someone tells you to leave them behind, you should do it.



The bond between siblings is strong and unless you have one, it’s hard to explain the intense urge you feel to protect your kin.

Ryan Arnold had that urge when his brother Chad desperately needed a liver transplant.

 Without thinking, Ryan immediately checked that he was a compatible donor.  Discovering that he was, the transplant went ahead.

As with all surgeries, there was risk and Ryan lost his life during the procedure. He’d made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that his brother could live.







The 2011 Japanese tsunami saw tremendous destruction hit Japan.



Takeshi Miura and Miki Endo were two government risk management workers tasked with warning and directing the public to safety. When the ten metre wave hit, both Takeshi and Miki stuck to their posts and kept broadcasting, using their last words to direct townsfolk to safety.

Lieutenants George Fox, Alexander Goode, John Washington, and Clark Poling were chaplains of varying faiths stationed aboard troop transport ship The Dorchester.

When the ship was struck by a submarine’s torpedo, the chaplains quickly rallied together and began handing out life jackets, and directing people to safety. 

When the life jackets ran out, they selflessly gave away their own. When the ship went down, the four men linked arms and began singing. It’s hard to say how many lives the men actually saved, suffice it to say it was enough to get into heaven and then some.






Dogs are man’s best friend, a title they’ve damn well earned through years of kicking butt.

When a suicidal unnamed Kazakhstani man drunkenly fell asleep on a train track, his ever faithful pet dog knew exactly what needed to be done. The dog used all of its doggy powers—pushing, pulling, and nudging its drunken owner off the tracks to safety. Sadly, this put the dog in harm’s ways and it died instantly when it was struck by a train.

 has already covered nine people (and one dog) who made the ultimate sacrifice in the process of saving a human life. But when we looked into the subject more thoroughly, we found that the world is apparently chock-full of people willing to lay down their lives for their fellow man. There are so many of them, in fact, that we decided to write another list to share their inspiring stories.

The Chernobyl explosion is one of the most harrowing examples in history of the danger nuclear power can pose if it isn’t kept in check. But the disaster itself could have been much, much worse if it wasn’t for the actions of three men.

The situation was as follows: a chamber housing a huge piece of radioactive carbon was in danger of melting right through the floor into a pool of water. If that had happened, it would have caused a massive steam explosion which in turn would have forced thousands of tons of radioactive material into the air.

It was quickly decided that someone needed to drain the pool, in order to save the lives of potentially millions of human beings. Three men volunteered for the task. Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bezpalov and Boris Baranov all selflessly opted to leap into the water to open the valve. They later succumbed to the massive doses of radiation they had received while saving the lives of their countrymen.

During Hurricane Sandy, many people lost their lives. But the death toll was not quite as high as it could have been, thanks in part to Artur Kasprzak. When flood waters hit, Kasprzak quickly carried six adults, as well as his young nephew, into the attic of his home.

Realizing that his father wasn’t among the people he’d just rescued, Kasprzak once again returned to the lower floors of his house. Unbeknownst to the young NYPD officer, his father had already reached safety. Kasprzak was found dead a few hours later.

Maximilian Kolbe, a friar, was sent to Auschwitz—a fact which by itself almost describes the bleakness of his situation.

Being a man of God, however, Kolbe remained resolute against the Nazis. When they decided that they wanted to starve ten men to death in order to prove a point, a lot of people were worried—“a lot of people” referring to everyone except Kolbe.

When one of the prisoners chosen for starvation cried out for his family, Kolbe stepped forward and offered to die in his place. He then sang aloud for three weeks to keep up the other men’s spirits, until eventually the Nazis decided to kill him with a lethal injection. The joke was on them in the end, however: Kolbe was eventually canonized as a saint while the Nazis became the fodder for every joke ever made.

Back in 2009, floods ravaged the Philippines. It was at around this time that eighteen-year-old Muelmar Magallanes decided that if nature was going to try and kill people, then it needed to go through him, first.

When he noticed the rising flood waters, Muelmar tied a string to his waist and rescued his entire family, then his neighbors, and then his other neighbors too—because Muelmar really had it in for the Grim Reaper that day. But it was Muelmar’s last rescue attempt that finally defeated him, already exhausted after rescuing as many as two dozen people.

It’s reported that Muelmar saw a young mother and her baby being dragged by the current. With no regard for the danger he was placing himself in, and perhaps with a lot of regard for his potentially badass tombstone epitaph, Muelmar leaped once more into the water to rescue the mother and child before finally succumbing to the current.

Casey Jones is an American hero who has been immortalized in song—an honor he earned by saving an entire train full of people.

While highballing (driving fast to make up for lost time) a train to Mississippi, Casey’s fireman noticed that there was a stalled freighter on the tracks. Without thinking, Casey immediately commanded his fireman to leap out of the train to safety while Casey himself opted to stay and slam on the brakes as hard as he could. Remarkably, Casey was able to slow down the train to the point that only one person was killed: he himself.

Like Muelmar, Jordan Rice saved a family member during a flood. Unlike Muelmar though, Jordan was thirteen—and he didn’t even know how to swim. When floods struck his family during a car journey in Queensland, Jordan became trapped, along with his younger brother and his mother.

Rescuers soon made their way to the trio—and when they tried to rescue Jordan, he selflessly told them to help his younger brother to safety first. Sadly, a wall of water crashed into the car, sweeping away both he and his mother. Jordan’s brother, however, was safe—no doubt thanks to his brother’s self-sacrifice.

Alfred Vanderbilt was a top-hat-wearing sportsman—a gentleman, and an all-round nice guy. Being a member of the insanely wealthy Vanderbilt household, Alfred enjoyed a life of luxury intertwined with—well, whatever the hell he wanted to do.

Beneath that soft, rich-guy façade, however, was the heart of a real hero. While Vanderbilt was on board the RMS Lusitania—an ocean liner—a German U-Boat crew decided to torpedo the ship. When the torpedoes made impact, Vanderbilt immediately set about handing out life belts to the other passengers and guiding them to nearby lifeboats. Vanderbilt, being a gentlemen, gave his own life belt to a young mother carrying a baby. It turned out that he couldn’t swim.

But here’s the really crazy part: Vanderbilt was actually meant to be on the Titanic, but cancelled at the last minute. He then went ahead and died in an almost identical manner three years later. And some people out there still doubt the realism of the Final Destination movies…

The 2012 Aurora shooting sent a shockwave throughout America—a shockwave comprised of anger, fear, and confusion that such a thing could have happened. But heroes will always find a way to inspire people, despite a madman trying to prove the opposite—whether this be in The Dark Knight Rises film or, as it turned out, in real life.

When James Holmes opened fire in the theatre, three boyfriends instinctively leapt to cover their girlfriends, shielding them from harm with their bodies, and thereby saving them at the cost of their own lives.

Dr. Liviu Librescu was a professor at Virginia Tech. If those last two words didn’t send a shiver down your spine, they should have.

When the deranged teenager Seung-Hui Cho started opening fire on random people, Librescu realized that everyone in his class was in danger—and he was having none of it. Holding the door shut, the seventy-six-year-old Romanian managed to stop Cho from forcing his way into the classroom, taking five bullets—including a fatal one to the head—in the process. As a direct result of Librescu’s actions, all but one of his students managed to escape with their lives.

Librescu was widely hailed as a hero as a result of his actions—a sentence we feel really needs to be typed out until the heat death of the universe.

Oleg Ivanovich Okhrimenko had an official title longer than half of the members of the Wu Tang clan combined: “Senior Operations Officer of the Omsk Special Rapid Response Detachment.”

Oleg additionally managed to earn the posthumous title “Hero of the Russian Federation” for an outstanding feat of heroism. Oleg and his team had to subdue a dangerously deranged criminal, who was armed with both a pistol and a live grenade.

When the criminal tried to break through the police barricade with a female hostage, the assault team quickly tried to take him down. Realizing that he was facing the Russian special forces, the criminal threw the grenade to the ground, and Oleg, seeing the danger, threw himself atop the grenade and absorbed the blast with his body. He thereby managed to save his team members, nearby citizens, as well as the female hostage.

You can follow Karl on Twitter if you’d like to see more work by him.

Living through a global pandemic, it can seem like the news has slipped into an endless cycle of misery and despair. But it is important to remember that this coronavirus is not the first epidemic humanity has faced. For the last half-century, people have been battling against the debilitating and potentially fatal terror of HIV/AIDS.

The fight is a long way from over. To date, HIV has taken over 36 million lives and still claims hundreds of thousands each year. Of the nearly 38 million people still living with the infection, one in five is said to be unaware of their condition. And with marginalized communities most at risk of infection, the virus still carries a weighty social stigma.^[1]

But the fight against HIV/AIDS has also produced a wealth of uplifting breakthroughs and inspiring victories. As of January 2021, the virus has been eliminated in three patients. There are reports of a potential vaccine in the pipeline. Around the world, there are inspiring stories of people coming together to minimize HIV infection. And plenty of work is being done to fight the stigma too.

So, in these bleak times of coronavirus, when it feels like the world might be damaged beyond repair, here are ten uplifting stories from the fight against HIV/AIDS.

10 Gene Editing Helps Cure Mice

Gene editing is a controversial practice, but it could prove vital to curing HIV. In 2020, researchers discovered a way to stamp out HIV in mice.

As part of the scientists’ study, HIV-infected mice were given a cocktail of slow-release drugs for four weeks. They then received a complex gene-editing treatment. The two treatments were ineffective on their own. But the scientists found that they could eliminate HIV if they were used together. Of the 23 mice that received both therapies, nine came back HIV-negative.

Dr. Howard E Gendelman of the University of Nebraska worked closely on the study. He described it as “the first time, to my knowledge, that any group has shown viral eradication is possible in a live animal model.”

Currently, people with HIV keep relatively normal lives by taking antiretroviral drugs. These drugs stabilize the condition—but they are not a cure. If someone with HIV were to stop taking their medication, their symptoms would flare up again in only a few weeks.^[2]

9 Monthly Injections Could Replace Pills

For people with HIV, taking pills is part of their daily routine. But those pills could soon be on their way out. Scientists in California have developed a monthly injection that they claim is better than pills at keeping the virus at bay. The drugs are injected into the patient’s buttock. They remain between the muscle fibers while they soak into the bloodstream. This method is remarkably effective. In a recent trial, 94% of participants who received the injection were stable after two years.

The injectable therapy is welcome news to many, including UN health expert Mahesh Mahalingam. As he told reporters, “It will help remove the challenge of taking tablets every day and significantly improve the quality of life of people living with HIV.”^[3]

8 “Dusseldorf Patient” Cured after Bone Marrow Transplant

In 2019, a patient in Germany became the third person in history to be cured of HIV after receiving a bone marrow transplant. For confidentiality reasons, very little is known about the identity of the “Dusseldorf Patient.” But, when doctors revealed the case at a conference in Seattle, the patient had gone three months without taking medication and was still free of HIV. The scientists looked for traces of the virus by studying tissue from the lymph nodes and the gut.

A bone marrow transplant is an advanced treatment in which infected cells are replaced with healthy ones. Scientists have been aware of the potential of bone marrow transplants since 2007, when “Berlin Patient” Timothy Ray Brown became the first person to be cured of the virus.^[4]

7 Protests Against Mbeki’s Denial in South Africa

HIV was rife in post-apartheid South Africa. By the mid-1990s, over one and half million people had tested positive for the virus. The hospitals were filled with dying patients. Across the country, tens of thousands of mothers were giving birth to infected babies.

Amidst this devastation, President Thabo Mbeki decided to push aside a wealth of scientific evidence. He declared that people with HIV should stop taking their medication. Instead, officials were recommending garlic and beetroot as potential treatments. In addition, Mbeki banned infected mothers from accessing drugs that would prevent them from passing on the virus to their children. Mbeki’s leadership is said to have cost 300,000 people their lives.

But the people of South Africa did not suffer Mbeki’s actions gladly. Throughout his presidency, protesters took to the streets. Crowds of South Africans called on the president to abandon his AIDS denial and face reality. Finally, in 2001, a community group called the Treatment Action Campaign took the issue to court. Their legal case forced the government to backtrack. Pregnant women would finally be allowed to access the medication they so desperately needed.

The impact on South Africa’s collective health has been astounding. In the decade following the drug’s release, life expectancy has risen by nine years. The child mortality rate has fallen through the floor. Mbeki resigned in 2008, making space for a government committed to tackling the pandemic. South Africa is still a long way from kicking out the virus completely. But they are in a far stronger position than they were twenty years ago.^[5]

6 PrEP Prevents Infection

Prevention, the saying goes, is better than the cure. Especially with HIV/AIDS, which has no known cure. Over the past fifteen years, researchers have made incredible strides in developing the PrEP medication that they say reduces the risk of getting HIV to almost zero.

PrEP is a daily program of drugs that protect at-risk people from contracting the virus. Initially, the drugs were limited to certain groups like sex workers and people who inject drugs. But after promising trials, the World Health Organization recommended that PrEP be made available to anyone at risk of infection. The rollout of PrEP now includes countries like the U.S., Brazil, and Thailand. In Thailand, anyone can access free PrEP no matter their age or gender.^[6]

5 HIV-Positive Sperm Bank Opens in New Zealand

In 2019, New Zealand opened the doors to the world’s first HIV-positive sperm bank. Sperm Positive is part of a new scheme to reduce the stigma surrounding the virus. All the men who donate to the bank will be HIV-positive with an undetectable viral load. This means that when their sperm is used for conception, there is no possibility of the virus being transmitted to the child.

Sperm Positive is a collective effort run by three charities—Positive Women Inc, Body Positive, and the New Zealand Aids Foundation. They hope that the project will help broaden people’s horizons about the virus and lessen the social shame attached to it.^[7]

4 Brighton’s HIV Test Vending Machine

The English city of Brighton faces numerous issues when it comes to HIV. Excluding London, it has the highest rate of HIV in the country. Eight out of every 1,000 people have tested positive for the virus, four times the national average. A 2016 study estimated that almost one-fifth of the people with HIV in Brighton were unaware that they had the infection.

However, that number is falling. In 2016, the city council became the first in the UK to commit to a target of zero new infections.

To minimize infection, the council installed vending machines across the city so that locals could access HIV testing kits. These machines are the first of their kind anywhere in the world. In 2017, the Martin Fisher Foundation set up five machines in venues around Brighton that are often visited by high-risk groups.

The vending machines are playing a vital role in reducing Brighton’s infection rate. The Foundation recently upgraded three of them to full Sexual Health Machines. Now, locals can use the machines to get STI kits as well as HIV tests.^[8]

Following Brighton’s promising example, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, and Manchester have also pledged to eradicate new infections.

3 Cyclists Help HIV-Positive Sex Workers in Zimbabwe

Coronavirus has taken its toll on all of our lives. But, for HIV-positive sex workers in rural Zimbabwe, the pandemic has been a nightmare. Zimbabwe’s national lockdown has stopped people in remote areas from accessing necessities.

When the pandemic hit, people in the village of Mashava were suddenly unable to get to the nearest clinic. This left four hundred HIV-positive sex workers stranded without their medication. Women like Dorcas Mbiri found that they were being turned away by the police and told to stay indoors.

So Mbiri and her colleagues decided to organize among themselves. They borrowed bicycles so that once a week, a cyclist could travel to the nearest clinic and collect essential medication for the villagers. On the poor quality Zimbabwean roads, the 10km trek (6.2 miles) can take almost three-quarters of an hour. But it has provided a much-needed lifeline for the sex workers of Mashava.^[9]

2 Woman Free of HIV for Twelve Years without Medication

In 2015, a young woman born with HIV made headlines after testing HIV-negative twelve years after last taking her medication. The unnamed woman was treated with antiretroviral drugs as a baby. But, after six years, the family decided to end her treatment. A year later, aged seven, doctors tested her again and found no trace of the virus.

Eleven years later, now an adult, she went back for another HIV test. Medical professionals were astounded by what they saw. Remarkably, over a decade since her last dose of drugs, HIV had not resurfaced in the young woman’s blood. This was the longest any young person has gone virus-free without medication.

“There have been other reports of treating infants followed by the stoppage of antiretroviral therapy that have not turned out as well,” explained Dr. Scott Sieg, an expert in infectious disease and HIV. “This case provides new hope.”^[10]

1 DNA-rTV, China’s Potential HIV Vaccine

Researchers in China have produced a potential HIV vaccine. One day, this may be used to protect the public from the virus. The potential vaccine, DNA-rTV, completed its second phase of clinical trials in 2019. So far, the results appear to be positive.

DNA-rTV is a replicating viral vector vaccine. This means that the vaccine particles can reproduce themselves. These new particles then enter cells in the body and produce antigens. Antigens are hugely important for immunization because they make the immune system produce antibodies. If that person ever becomes infected, those antibodies will play a vital role in helping the immune system fight off the virus.

Developing an HIV vaccine is a difficult task. Scientists say that we should not expect the vaccine any time soon. Jin Cong, director of China’s AIDS Prevention Office, has warned people not to get their hopes up too quickly.

“In general, all vaccines require a long process from development to the market,” Cong explained. “It is even more difficult for the AIDS vaccine, which is determined by the characteristics of the AIDS virus itself.”^[11]