The Yellow Room Blogging for Choice 2013

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade being passed, The Yellow Room post production team is proud to announce our participation in NARAL's (the nation's leading pro-choice advocacy group) eighth annual Blog for Choice Day on January 22, 2013.  

Look for our post tomorrow at: 

http://www.facebook.com/TheYellowRoomFilm?fref=ts

The Yellow Room Screening at Essex Community College

The Yellow Room which was released in 2012 by Assal Ghawami Productions is going to be screened at Essex Community College in March, during Women's History Month.  The Yellow Room is about a young Pakistani woman, Sanaz, played by Sabba Hussain, who seeks help from a Hispanic medicine woman, Teresa, played by Yvette Mercedes, at her obscure tenement home.  

Sanaz seeks Teresa's help when she finds she is pregnant and decides to end her unplanned pregnancy with a centuries old herbal remdey--Ruda.  As Sanaz struggles with the internal conflict of ending ending her pregnancy, she must deal with the conflicting personality of Amy, played by Alexandra Manzano, who shares her secret in Teresa's tenement home. 

To follow all the updates about this screening please visit:

 http://www.facebook.com/TheYellowRoomFilm?fref=ts 

The Yellow Room Website:
http://www.theyellowroom-film.com

Mayor Blanco Attends Meet and Greet for Local Seniors

Assal Ghawami Productions partnered with The Passaic Senior Center and Mayor Dr. Alex Blanco of Passaic, in the making of A Day in Eden. We cast local seniors from The Passaic Senior Center as extras in the film.  

On January 11, 2013, The Passaic Senior Center hosted a meet and greet for the cast, which included writer and director Assal Ghawami, the local seniors in the film, one of the main characters of the film, Fereshde, played by Briana Martin, the cellist Fjiola Evans and my public relations and promotion team Chrissy Keeley and Genna Preston.  Mayor Blanco also showed his support for the film by attending the event.  

During the meet and greet, questions were answered for the local seniors about what to expect on the set, such as wardrobe, hair and make-up questions and the filming process in general. Fjiola played three pieces of music that will be featured in the film.  Mayor Blanco discussed the screening of A Day in Eden to take place in May at the Passaic High School to raise money for The Passaic Senior Center.  

Words can hardly describe how amazing it has been to work with these local seniors.  To witness them all so excited about participating in this film has humbled me and my production team.  We are so grateful for their patience and their life experiences which as enhanced the overall production of A Day in Eden.

For more information on the meet and greet and updates on the film please visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ADIE2013?fref=ts

Briana Martin, Mayor Dr. Alex Blanco, Assal Ghawami, Fjiola Evans, & Chrissy Keeley

Assal & Mayor Blanco

Fjiola & Urcina Alonso, a local senior cast in the film

Assal, Briana & Fjiola

Refreshment time!!!!

The Filming of A Day in Eden

Hi Everyone

My name is Assal Ghawami and I am a NYU graduate student filmmaker.  So many people use their blog to write about whatever is on their mind.  I have been trying to find the perfect way to start this blog and I keep writing, deleting and starting over again, the thing is....I like to speak through my films...it's hard to talk so straight out to people, and words are so fallible….So the purpose of this blog is to keep readers updated on projects and events that Assal Ghawami Productions is working on.  

Right now, my team and I are working on the production of A Day in Eden, which takes place in a nursing home.   While the film aims to raise awareness about elder abuse, the theme of A Day in Eden concentrates on two central characters, worlds apart, yet brought together by their shared humanity. 

Yuri, a permanent tenant at Eden Nursing Home is rebelling against the humiliating treatment by the nurses. His last bit of dignity seems lost, when he meets Fereshde, a Muslim volunteer, who finds him in an embarrassing situation.  Fereshde, a broke musician, is rebelling against the conservative constraints put on her by her family. She wants to do the right humane thing; what Yuri needs however, conflicts with her duties as a Muslim.

This is a very personal film for me and a human rights issue that I hold close to my heart.  I was one of the activists advocating for the Elder Justice Act before it was passed in 2010.  To help pass this piece of legislation I produced and edited more than 50 interviews with victims of elderly abuse that were presented to Congress in 2010. I hope that A Day in Eden will continue to shed light on the issue of elder abuse and inspire more people to fight for the rights of our elders.



For more information on the film please visit the webiste at:   http://adayineden.com