Nesmahar Sayed talks to supporters of Asmaa Asmaa is an evocative girl's name with roots in the Arabian peninsula; it also means "names" (the plural of issm ). The woman whose life story the film Asmaa tells has a different name, of course, but aside from the necessity of changing it, the director Amr Salama says he found Asmaa appropriate to the theme of the film, which was initially called Bidoun Asmaa (Without Asmaa): the right of an HIV patient to receive treatment and be accepted by society. According to Wessam ElBeih, Egypt's UNAIDS representative, UNAIDS is finally responding to an idea suggested by people living with HIV six years ago. "They were looking for drama that could reflect their lives in a balanced way," ElBeih continued: after discussing the theme with several filmmakers and screenwriters, UNAIDS settled on Salama. UNAIDS sponsored the script development and acted as a technical partner in this process, ensuring that the script would reflect accurate medical information and giving the cast access to people with HIV when needed. After the script development was finished, UNAIDS released commercial rights to the production company. According to her, this kind of collaboration was exceptional as it served the greater objective of creating movies that reflect the true realities of the relevant communities and address thorny social issues in an attractive and friendly format. For ElBeih, the commitment of the cast and crew was the key to success: "Hind Sabry's excellent performance brought Asmaa to life in a manner that I hope will touch many people." At the age of 29, Salama received the best director award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival this year; his connection with the topic started in 2005, when he directed a documentary named Living with HIV. In the process he grew close to some patients, who in 2006 told him their stories including the story of the character who would become Asmaa. Salama said he was deeply moved by it: "The shooting of the film took six weeks and the editing was completed on 24 January 2011, the eve of 25 January," Salama says. But the idea goes beyond the right of the patient to treatment, according to Salama: "This is just one case of something that applies to everyone in society: people should demand their rights and feel accepted doing it." On World AIDS Day (8 December) UNAIDS Zero targets for 2015 were announced: zero new infections, zero AIDS- related deaths, and zero discrimination. It was on this occasion that the film was launched. A job well done, as far as ElBeih is concerned. For Sabry, on the other hand, " Asmaa is not simply a film about AIDS, it's about living together with our differences. A human universal story. Asmaa means so much to me, we are in need of more tolerance and less pre-judgment, the concept of being a citizen needs to be redefined. I am a citizen, therefore I have rights! My disease, religion, colour or ethnicity should not come in the way. That's why we made Asmaa, and the timing is perfect, since we are starting off a new NGO. Being 'moral' should mean being tolerant, understanding and empathetic; Asmaa is all about that. If one person stops being phobic about AIDS and starts thinking, we will have done our share with Asmaa." Asmaa is obviously one among many, but ElBeih says the real number of cases in Egypt remains unknown: many are never tested for the disease. UNAIDS and WHO estimate the number to be 11,000: a small percentage of the population. However, some groups -- those who have frequent blood transfusions or use needles, for example -- are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, up to five percent, and they are at even greater risk if the stigma prevents them from receiving medical attention. A mother can infect her child during pregnancy or breastfeeding, sexual partners can infect each other: ElBeih says it is sad that many people still do not realise that, otherwise, one is perfectly safe from infection. An HIV infection is for life, but "with proper care and treatment," ElBeih adds, "one can prevent progress to AIDS". This, Salama and his cast learned first hand; hence Sabry's stellar performance. Salama's main concern while writing and directing the film was to avoid direct statement of the film's message. "That is why I was keen on making an interesting movie." In comparison with the talk show host character, who rambles and contradicts himself, Asmaa is self-possessed, to the point. Salama says the talk show character was the hardest to write: he has nothing personally against talk show hosts, but he wanted "to analyse their role in society -- being constructive on the one hand, and making money on the other hand -- while taking into account that their humanity is always hidden underneath their daily routine and broadcasting pressures". Salama feels Asmaa will be landmark in his career but he still has many ideas to work on. His dream is to direct a movie he has already written about Copts' rights: La Mouakhza, which tells the story of a Coptic child who must live as a Muslim, was turned down by the censors "before and after the 25 January Revolution". HIV-positive people who helped Salama with the film participated out of courage and commitment to improving conditions in their community. Here as elsewhere, stigma remains the greatest problem. "People are afraid to disclose their HIV status," ElBeih says, "which can stand in the way of access to health care and other services and can be the cause of many violations including dismissal from work, or rejection by family or denial of social services." One difficult situation that few ever consider is that of a whole family (a father, mother and children) with HIV: the challenge is how to disclose to a child that she is HIV positive after she starts noticing her medication and comparing herself with other children. ElBeih tells of one HIV-positive woman who has been the breadwinner of the family since her husband passed away but whose children -- who are HIV negative -- do not know of her condition: she carries the burden alone. "On the other hand," ElBeih goes on, "I personally knew the real Asmaa and am in touch with her children. Her story has influenced me personally as I was not able to help her due to the mounting stigma among health professionals. Asmaa in my opinion died of negligence and ignorance, not of her gall bladder or AIDS".
