November 15, 2012 - WestchesterGuardian.com

Page 6 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, november 15, 2012CULTURAL PERSPECTIVESTahara-FGMContinued from page 5of eliminating the circumcision sceneso she could shoot on location. Whenshe consulted with him, Sheltonencouraged her to follow her vision,never give up and fight for it at all costs.He said, “if I compromised my visionat that early stage of my career, then itwould be full of compromises later on.But if I found the courage to keep thescene, it would eventually pay off.”Because obtaining shootingpermits and a green light for the scriptwas impossible to obtain in Egypt,Sara eventually moved the actionto Los Angeles in order to have fullcreative control. “The main difficultyI faced was going through the processof having my script read by the censorwhile abroad in Egypt. Because wedidn’t have the same process of censorshipin the US, it was truly dauntingfor me, to censor your mind and yourideas, and in the end, I suppose, youractions,” she shared.Casting was also very difficult,because there aren’t a lot of MiddleEastern actors in Los Angeles, andEgyptians in particular. I had todo an open call audition as well asattend many Arabic events within thecommunity. At one point, I thoughtof casting entirely non-professionalsto get an authentic Egyptian feeling.I had cast the film with a mixture ofactors who were of Arab descent andspoke Arabic but the dialects were notcolloquial Egyptian”, she said.Several weeks before the filmingbegan, Egyptian actress CarolineKhalil, came to Los Angeles on aFulbright scholarship. Khalil andRashad were introduced by a mutualfriend, Hesham Issawi, the Egyptiandirector of T for Terrorist, AmericanEast, and Cairo Exit. “As soon as I satdown with her at a local coffee shopfor but one moment, I knew I hadfound Amina. “After a quick readingaudition, she landed the part”, remembersSara. Caroline Khalil would lateron became a known starlette of televisionand film.Tahara has been well received inthe USA, Europe, and Egypt. SaraRashad has been very busy touringwith the film in festivals whenever shecan. The most exciting festival was theNigerian International Film Festival,where the film took a prize for BestInternational Short, because FGMis still an African issue. It was a greathonor. Also, the Pan African FilmFestival in Los Angeles, where Taharaalso earned a prize for Best AfricanShort Film.Born in Cairo, Egypt, Sherif Awad is afilm / video critic and curator. He is thefilm editor of Egypt Today Magazine(www.EgyptToday.com), and theartistic director for both the AlexandriaFilm Festival, in Egypt, and the ArabRotterdam Festival, in The Netherlands.He also contributes to Variety, in theUnited States, and is the film critic ofVariety Arabia (http://varietyarabia.com/), in the United Arab Emirates(UAE), the Al-Masry Al-Youm Website(http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/198132) and The WestchesterGuardian (www.WestchesterGuardian.com).DISASTER RELIEFFederal Family and Partners Continue to Support States Impacted by SandyMore than $368 Million in Individual Assistance Approved for Disaster SurvivorsWASHINGTON, D.C. -- At thedirection of President Barack Obama,the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) continues to lead thefederal government’s effort to provideassistance and support to states affectedby Hurricane Sandy, ensuring thefederal family and its public and privatepartners continue to provide all availableresources to support state, local,and tribal communities in affectedareas. The Administration’s top priorityis to continue supporting the governors,tribal leaders and communitiesin impacted states, as response effortscontinue. Coordinating throughFEMA, the Administration remainscommitted to bringing the resourcesof the federal family.As FEMA and its federal partnerscontinue to work with the statesin support of their recovery efforts,the top priority is providing access toshelter for residents whose homes wereseverely damaged or destroyed by thestorm.Many voluntary agencies continueto provide services to HurricaneSandy survivors, including providingshelter, meals, and clean up supplies.The Red Cross and other organizationscontinue to support more than119 shelters across 3 states supportingmore than 5,700 residents. To finda shelter, people can download theRed Cross Hurricane app, visit theRed Cross web site, call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767), or checklocal media outlets. State and localgovernments also continue to operatewarming stations. For more information,contact your local officials orfurther information can be found onwebsites including: http://www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/ ; http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/warming_ctr.html; http://nj.gov/nj/home/features/spotlight/hurricane_sandy.shtml;http://nj211.org/hurricane.cfm andwww.ct.gov/sandy.FEMA is one part of a large teamthat is working together to support thestates of New York and New Jersey inmeeting longer-term housing needs ofdisaster survivors. As extensive workcontinues to restore power, open roadwaysand remove debris so that homescan begin to be repaired or rebuilt theaffected states are taking the lead toidentify their needs and resources byconvening State-led Disaster HousingTask Forces. The Task Forces inNew York and New Jersey involve acollaborative approach to addressingthe temporary housing and longtermneeds of the disaster survivors,including the collection of availablerental resources, projecting housingneeds and exploring other options.The Task Force is comprised of thestate, local, voluntary agencies, andfederal partners including FEMA, theDepartment of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD), the US ArmyCorps of Engineers, the Small BusinessAdministration (SBA), VeteransAffairs and the US Department ofAgriculture. Working together, theteam will support the state as theyestablish housing priorities; seek waysto make the greatest use of existinghousing resources, such as apartmentsand rental units; enlist voluntary agenciesto make minor repairs so survivorscan remain in their homes; and investigateother temporary housing optionssuitable for the area.FEMA is providing TransitionalHousing Assistance in the form ofshort-term hotel and motel lodging.FEMA can also provide financialassistance which may include temporaryhousing and home repairs,” saidFEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.“Survivors and small businesses areencouraged to register by phone at1-800-621-FEMA (3362), via mobiledevices at m.fema.gov or online atwww.DisasterAssistance.gov. DisasterRecovery Centers are open in affectedcommunities which provide an opportunityto meet face-to-face withrepresentatives to address questions.”FEMA has more than 5,800FEMA personnel deployed to supportresponse and recovery operations andis actively taking registration informationthrough our 24 hour call centers.As of 3 p.m., more than 343,000 individualsin Connecticut, New York andNew Jersey have registered for assistance,and more than $368 million hasbeen approved in FEMA Assistance.Currently, a total of 40 DisasterRecovery Centers are open in NewYork, New Jersey and Connecticut.Of that amount, 21 Disaster RecoveryCenters are open in New York, 12 inNew Jersey and seven in Connecticutand more continue to open. To find adisaster recovery center location, checkout the disaster recovery center locatorat FEMA.gov/disaster-recoverycentersor by mobile phone at m.fema.gov. You may also text DRC and a ZipCode to 43362 (4FEMA).Many residents may be askingthemselves what’s next after theyregister for FEMA assistance. Duringregistration, applicants will be given apersonal number that should be kepthandy for future use. Often times,a housing inspection is needed andone of the 1,975 FEMA HousingInspectors on the ground will makecontact to schedule an appointmentto come see the damaged property ifit is accessible. Appointments generallytake 30-40 minutes and includean inspection of damaged areas of yourhome and review of your records. Thereis no fee for the inspection and inspectorsalways have proper identification.To date, the President hasdeclared that major disasters existin Connecticut, New York, NewJersey, and Rhode Island and emergencydeclarations have been madein Connecticut, Delaware, District ofColumbia, Maryland, Massachusetts,New Hampshire, New Jersey, NewYork, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,Virginia and West Virginia. FEMAcontinues to deliver commoditiesincluding food, water, blankets,generators and others resources todistribution points across the regionimpacted by Sandy.In addition, a snapshot of someof the federal activities that are beingcoordinated:The U.S. Small BusinessAdministration (SBA) announcedthat businesses with physical damagesor loss of revenue should considervisiting a Business Recover Center andapplying for an SBA disaster businessloan. The SBA offers Economic InjuryDisaster Loans to small businesses,small agricultural cooperatives, smallbusinesses engaged in aquaculture, andmost private non-profit organizations,to help meet working capital needscaused by the disaster. EconomicInjury Disaster Loan assistance isavailable regardless of whether thebusiness suffered any physical propertydamage. SBA continues to operateseveral Business Recovery Centers inNew York and New Jersey. For moreinformation, call the SBA CustomerService Center at 800-659-2955(800-877-8339 for the deaf and hardof-hearing)or go to www.sba.gov.The Treasury Department andthe Internal Revenue Service (IRS)announced special relief intendedContinued on page 7