Maryam

synopsis

Maryam is a maid who is responsible for taking care of her “master,” who has a mental disorder because of a certain situation. On Christmas night, his whole family leaves him alone with his maid. Maryam takes him into a disquieting, spiritual life-and-death situation at Christmas mass.

about the director

Sidi Saleh was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 5th, 1979. He received a bachelor’s degree in cinematography from the Jakarta Institute of Arts. Since graduating from university, he has credits for several experimental feature films as a cinematographer, such as Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (the Fipresci Award at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2009), Postcard from the Zoo (in Competition at the Berlinale Film Festival 2012), and one of his short films titled Kara – the Daughter of a Tree (Cannes Director’s Fortnight 2005). Sidi made his directorial debut with 2011’s Full Moon, one of the short film segments in the omnibus Belkibolang, and thenceforth continued his career as a film director. In 2013, he participated in film workshops at Berlinale Talent Campus. Sidi’s third short film, Fitri, was in competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival 2014. His next short film, Maryam, won the best short film at the 71° Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica Film Festival 2014 in Venice.