Next of Kin

Director   Timothy Guion Smith
Country   USA
Year   2022
Languages   English
Genre   Drama
Running Time   15 min

Stigma remains an ongoing issue for a Filipina former actor living with HIV alongside her gay son who was born positive, but tenderness and resiliency prevail.

This film is part of Shorts: Family Tales program.

Director’s Statement

Twenty six years after the advent of lifesaving antiretroviral therapies, the seminal stories about HIV/AIDs still dwell overwhelmingly on the darkest and most acute phase of the pandemic. Although an HIV diagnosis had long ago ceased to be a death sentence, Hollywood seems almost reluctant to break new ground. We find in contemporary film and television few examples of work that reflects the social progress of the intervening quarter century while scrutinizing the persistence of HIV stigma as experienced in the 1980s - 1990s, in our era. Furthermore, the changing and diverse faces of the “poz undetectable” —those living with chronic and managed HIV—should also include depictions of poz women and children born with HIV, who are not merely surviving but thriving.

Fulfilling a promise I made to myself when I came out about my own HIV status to family, friends, and coworkers over social media, Next of Kin offers one story of what it means to be living with HIV in the early 2020s, and the Poz-phobic stigma that still pervades queer, trans, and straight spaces today.

Director’s Bio

Timothy Guion Smith (he/him)

Timothy Guion Smith is a New York City-born, LA-based filmmaker and actor. His debut short film, Next of Kin, screened at Outfest Fusion, CAAMFest, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, DisOrient, and the Soho International Film Festival.

The SF Bay Area Times called it "A filmmaker's auspicious debut," while POZ Magazine described it as "Beautiful, heart-tugging, and modern... ending with the frayed edges of reality, uncertainty and hurt - and the comfort of family."

A graduate of NYU Tisch, Timothy tells queer, Filipino-American stories with bold emotional clarity, often blending personal narrative with formal experimentation. As of 2025, he is currently developing his first feature, EXIT 9.