Aflam Film Club to Present ‘Asmaa’

• Director Amr Salama to attend the screening
• This month’s short film showcases ‘The Pillars’ directed by Moustafa Zakaria

22 October 2012, Abu Dhabi, UAE: AFLAM, the film club which presents the best of Arabic cinema to Abu Dhabi’s film fans, will this month welcome acclaimed director Amr Salama. Ahead of the screening, the short film ‘The Pillars’, directed by Moustafa Zakaria and funded by twofour54 creative lab will be shown.

This month’s screening will take place on Wednesday 24th October at VOX Cinemas, Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi. Guests are invited to arrive at 7pm for an hour of networking ahead of the screenings at 8pm. The evening will conclude with a Q&A session with Amr Salama.

Based on a true story, ‘Asmaa’ is an inspiring portrait of an Egyptian woman in her 40s, struggling to live with the secret of her HIV status.

Following the death of her husband, Asmaa moves to Cairo with her father and teenage daughter. She suffers from the feelings of seclusion and social isolation associated with her illness and she lives in fear that her secret will be exposed, even to those closest to her. For months she suffers with a benign infection and due to her illness, no doctor will agree to carry out the surgery that could easily treat her. She must find a solution before her condition becomes fatal.

Asmaa’s chance comes when she is offered the opportunity to appear on a famous TV talk-show, a last chance for her to secure her right for treatment. With only hours to decide, Asmaa must choose between revealing her secret or continuing to suffer in silence…

The film premiered at the 2011 Abu Dhabi Film Festival, where it won the New Horizons Award for Best Director from the Arab World. At the 2012 Fribourg International Film Festival ‘Asmaa’ won the Audience Award.

The twofour54 creative lab-funded short film ‘The Pillars’ is about a recently divorced Emirati couple’s journey shaped by the five pillars of Islam. Having received 11 international and regional film festival acceptances, ‘The Pillars’ looks at the region and the issues that impact life in the UAE.

Supported by twofour54, AFLAM was launched based on the success of a film club that Nayla Al Khaja and D-SEVEN Motion Pictures founded in Dubai in November 2007 and aims to provide a platform for all film industry members and fans to network and view quality regional films in Abu Dhabi.  Subtitled in English, all AFLAM films have an international appeal, most having been screened at major film festivals around the globe. The founders of AFLAM are proud to have introduced such a platform to Abu Dhabi and continue to support a vibrant film culture in the UAE.

Offering complimentary seats, Arabic and English subtitles, a chance to talk to film directors and a forum for industry professionals and film fans to network, AFLAM invites guests to reserve their tickets on www.aflamclub.com. The tickets can be collected at the AFLAM Registration Desk at VOX Cinemas Marina Mall Abu Dhabi from 7.00pm and guests are encouraged to arrive on time as seating is offered on a “first come first served” basis. Guests can visit the AFLAM Networking Lounge also open from 7.00pm.

About AFLAM
Brought to you by D-SEVEN Motion Pictures and riding on the success of The Scene Club, the film club AFLAM is the new home of modern Arabic cinema in Abu Dhabi. It is a monthly film club that highlights and celebrates the best of independent Arabic cinema and filmmakers, showing independent films to the Abu Dhabi community and creating a film network for like-minded people to meet and share ideas. This film club is open to everyone – not just Arabic speakers, but people of all backgrounds. AFLAM’s films will have an international appeal with many movies having been previously screened at major film festivals across the globe. It’s a club for you, offering complimentary seats, a chance to talk to film directors and a place for film professionals and film fans to network. Tickets are complimentary and can be requested by registering online at www.aflamclub.com

About D-SEVEN Motion Pictures
D-SEVEN offers a full array of production services including TV commercials, Corporate and Promotional Films.
D-SEVEN and its subsidiaries are led by the direction of Nayla Al Khaja, who is UAE’s first female film producer. Our offices are conveniently located in Dubai Media City and twofour54, Abu Dhabi.