Killing Patient Zero (2019)

Killing Patient Zero tells the story of Gaëtan Dugas, the Canadian man who became the “face of Aids” and was wrongfully blamed for spreading the epidemic.

Gaëtan Dugas was openly gay. In the early 1980s he contracted what was then termed “gay cancer”, becoming one of the earliest diagnosed HIV/Aids patients in North America. But after providing blood samples and the names of his numerous former sex partners, Dugas found himself demonised for his promiscuity, and wrongfully identified as patient zero.

Helmed by award-winning writer-director Laurie Lynd (Schitt’s Creek, Murdoch Mysteries), who was nominated for the Directors Guild of Canada Award for Excellence in Documentary, Killing Patient Zero was an official selection at Hot Docs and has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Globe and Mail saying, “Lynd has restored Dugas to imperfect flesh and blood. That is achievement enough.”