East Orange Native’s New Movie Inspired By Loss Of Loved One

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — East Orange native Yucef Mayes is tapping into a reservoir of personal loss for his third film, “The Patient.”

Mayes’ new film tells the story of a loved one who, dying from AIDS, escapes from the hospital for “the most understandable, yet heartbreaking reason.”

Mayes is the award-winning filmmaker of "Zahra and the Oil Man," which centers around the love between a father and daughter, illiteracy and the father's business selling oils on the streets of a urban city, and was recently a featured short film on CBS-TV.

The new film, "The Patient" captures a day and time when people with AIDS were shunned because of the unknown's surrounding AIDS at the time – a situation that shares commonalities with the coronavirus pandemic, according to Mayes.

Mayes said he hope the film will remind people to look beyond disease, affliction and illness and “remember the humanity in us all, particularly for those who are sick."

To learn more about "The Patient" or to contribute to the fundraising efforts, contact Mayes (writer/director) at Shineblackartandfilm@gmail.com The movie is expected to be released in 2021.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.