Local Filmmaker Sells Work to HBO

With one camera, no soundman and only himself as the film crew, Ojai resident Bobby Houston documented the 10 1/2 days that 10 crew members who were HIV-positive spent aboard a yacht for a 2,200-mile race from Los Angeles to Hawaii.

The film, titled “The Human Race” and based on the 1997 TransPac race, has been purchased by HBO.

Houston, 44, wouldn’t comment on how much HBO paid for the movie but said it helped recoup some of the filming costs.

The event was organized by Get Challenged, an Ojai-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support and positive role models for people with HIV. The 10 HIV-positive men--four of whom had AIDS--were the first such crew to participate in the race.

The film depicts life with the crew of the Survivor, from members who talk frankly about AIDS and what the trip means to them as well as their fear of not living to see Hawaii--not because of AIDS, but because of huge waves and shattering boat parts.

The Survivor placed 19th out of 24 in the 60-foot-and-under category.

“This is great,” said Rob Hudson, Houston’s partner and founder of Get Challenged. “HBO is seen by 12 million people, and to get this exposure for the nonprofit is huge.”

Houston’s partner of 10 years died in 1995 before the medical “cocktails” were discovered that can extend the lives of people with HIV and AIDS.

Houston, who is HIV-negative, said making the movie was a way to show that people are surviving the virus and doing things no one would think possible.

“The Human Race,” which debuted at the Ojai Playhouse, has been in dozens of film festivals and garnered a number of awards.

It is scheduled to be aired on HBO in March.