Let’s Talk About STI Testing

Aim

Help make a short film exploring what people know about HIV and STI testing, gaps in education and barriers to getting tested.

Film project: Let’s make HIV and STI testing easier to understand

Knowing about STIs isn’t always the same as knowing how to get tested.

Where would you go? When would you test? And would you feel comfortable asking?

In conversations and online discussions, I’ve encountered uncertainty about testing and a sense that simply asking for a test can feel taboo. I want to help address those reservations and encourage people to see testing as a health-conscious, responsible choice, relevant to people across different backgrounds.

I’m raising £8,000 to make an approximately ten-minute film that starts with people’s questions, then brings in a sexual-health professional to offer clear explanations and practical signposting.

Watch my introduction below to hear why I’m making this film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVVtjTgtxxo

Why this film?

In the Sex Education Forum’s 2025 survey of 16–17-year-olds, 52% said they had learned nothing or not enough about accessing local sexual-health services.

That finding concerns teenagers, but it raises a question worth exploring across generations: did what we learned about STIs prepare us to get a test?

Through conversations with adults of different ages, I want to explore what people remember learning, where their understanding comes from today, and what questions remain.

The film is for anyone who feels uncertain about testing, has reservations or assumes it is only relevant to other people. Its aim is to make the process easier to understand and discuss, without judging anyone’s knowledge or experience.

Who will take part?

I’ll interview adults aged 18 and over in London, seeking a range of perspectives across generations, genders, sexual orientations and ethnic backgrounds.

This will be a starting exploration. A short film cannot provide an in-depth analysis of every group or establish what the whole country thinks. It can bring different experiences into view and identify questions worth addressing.

What I’ll make

The film will draw on short interviews asking:

• What do people remember learning about HIV and other STIs?
• What have they heard about the testing process?
• How would they find reliable information or access a test?
• What might make testing easier to talk about?

I’ll bring questions emerging from those conversations to a sexual-health professional, connecting public perspectives with reliable information.

The interviews will focus on understanding and accessing testing. It’s only focused on the testing process the questions are formulated to be as unintrusive as possible. They can skip any question, stop the interview, and choose to contribute anonymously. Where needed, contributions can be presented using voiceovers.

The finished film and a small set of captioned clips will be available free on YouTube. I aim to publish them within about four months of receiving the funds.

How I’ll reach people

I’ll share the film through The Science Intersection’s website, podcast and social channels, and invite participants who wish to do so to share it with their own networks.

I also plan to approach sexual-health organisations and community groups about sharing it, seek opportunities for public screenings, and produce a podcast episode informed by the questions and themes that emerge.

These activities will help take the conversation beyond the film itself and reach people who may not already follow sexual-health content.

Why me?

I’m Rachel, creator of The Science Intersection podcast. I have a BSc in Biomedical Science, an MSc in Neuroscience, and experience interviewing, filming street interviews and editing.

I’ve independently produced seven podcast seasons, handling research, guest preparation, interviews, editing and publication.

Explore my previous work.

What your donation funds

Your support will pay for:

• My preparation, interviewing and editing time.
• A filming collaborator, travel and modest food expenses.
• Voiceovers for participants who choose anonymity.
• Specialist checking of health information.
• Captions, sound finishing, any necessary room hire
• Payment-processing costs and a contingency allowance.

I already have the filming equipment and insurance. Funding will give me and my collaborators paid time to deliver the project.

If we raise more or less

This is a “keep what you raise” campaign. If we raise less than £8,000, I’ll reduce the number of interviews or the film’s length while continuing to pay people for their work. If the amount is too small to make a useful film, I’ll update supporters with a proposed next step before spending it.

Any surplus or savings will support related follow-up work on HIV or other STI testing and stigma. I’ll share updates explaining how funds are used. If unforeseen circumstances prevent the original film going ahead, I’ll explain the proposed next steps before redirecting funds.

Help make the film happen

Please donate what you can or share this campaign.

Your support will help turn people’s questions into an accessible film; one that addresses reservations, opens up discussion and presents testing as part of caring for ourselves and others.

Thank you,
 Rachel

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 31st December 2026 at 3:06pm