Casey House, a hospital providing care for people living with and at risk of HIV, has released Big Fucking Deal, a short film directed by Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Hubert Davis, as part of the hospital’s ongoing Smash Stigma campaign created in partnership with creative agency Bensimon Byrne and its sister shop, NarrativeXPR. (Davis was an Oscar nominee in 2005 for the short subject documentary Hardwood.)
Thanks to decades of scientific innovation, HIV is medically manageable for many people. But the ability to access and sustain consistent HIV care is not equally shared, especially when barriers compound and reinforce one another. A study commissioned by Casey House found that more than half of Canadians (54%) don’t feel they understand what it means to live with HIV today–a gap that leaves stigma unchallenged and barriers unseen. Big Fucking Deal responds by demonstrating how stigma intensifies and outcomes diverge when an HIV diagnosis intersects with challenges such as housing insecurity, substance use dependency, mental health challenges, and discrimination tied to identity.
“We approached this as a human story first, not a diagnosis,” said director Davis, founder of Folktale Films. “It’s about what people are carrying, and how that load is magnified for those living with HIV but also confronting difficult realities of housing, mental illness and substance use dependency. We wanted to honor that reality without over-simplifying it. If Big Fucking Deal does one thing, I hope it helps people see stigma differently and see the person first.”
“There’s a perception that HIV is solved–that it’s one pill a day and life goes on,” said Joseph Bonnici, chief creative officer at Bensimon Byrne’s parent company, Tadiem. “But that assumes you have stable housing, stigma-free care, and the mental bandwidth to manage treatment. For too many people, those conditions don’t exist. That’s the gap this campaign [and Casey House] is addressing.”
This tension shows up in what Canadians think it takes to live with HIV today. Medication is widely understood, with 82% of Canadians saying consistent access to medication is typically required to stay healthy. However, fewer recognize the role of stigma-free health care (63%) and stable housing (48%) in making consistent care possible. Trust in care is also fragile: only 44% of Canadians say they are confident that people living with HIV in Canada receive stigma-free health care when they need it.
“The science is clear: HIV treatment works. But there are still gaps in understanding, and too little confidence that people will receive stigma-free care when they need it,” said Yasser Ismail, chief strategy & knowledge officer, Casey House. “That’s exactly the gap Casey House exists to close, by meeting people where they are and ensuring care is delivered with dignity and without judgment.”
