Asmaa (2011)
- Original title
- أسماء
- Directed by
- Amr Salama
- Genre
- drama film
- Country
- Egypt
- Runtime
- 1h 36m
- Rated
- 15
- Rating
- 8.0 of 10 from 41 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
A woman in Egypt hides her HIV diagnosis to avoid stigma. She faces a difficult choice when a TV show offers her a chance to speak publicly. The film follows her struggle against social prejudice.
poignantsocially consciousemotionalsomberurgentrawsympatheticgrounded
What happens
Asmaa or Asma'a (Arabic: أسماء) is a 2011 Egyptian drama film, and is the first such feature film to present AIDS patients sympathetically. Written and directed by Amr Salama, the film tells the history of a woman with HIV who struggles to live under the burden of keeping her HIV status secret, and the dilemma she faces when offered the opportunity to appear on a television talk show. The film is based on a true story of a woman who died from a burst gallbladder after doctors refused to operate on her because she had AIDS. The director, Amr Salama, intended the film to raise awareness about AIDS: in his words, to correct the "misconceptions and lies" about the disease, since more people are dying from the misconceptions than from the lack of treatment. The film is not about AIDS, but rather the battle against social prejudice in Egypt. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
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For the First Time (2025)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.