FREDERIC ASTIER/AFP/Getty Images

AIDS demonstrators stage a sit-in.

In 1987, posters printed with the slogan "Silence equals death" began showing up all over New York City. They were put up by a small group of activists, the first small cry in a movement to shed light on a disease that was silently ravaging the gay community.

That movement became known as ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. What they unleashed was unprecedented, they influenced political and medical officials at the highest levels and successfully changed the way drugs are tested and released.

"How to Survive a Plague" chronicles the efforts of the people involved in the struggle, and opens at the NUART theatre in Los Angeles on Friday. Tickets can be purchased at their website.

Guest:

David France, director of "How To Survive a Plague"