Director: Sharipa Urazbayeva
Script: Sharipa Urazbayeva
Cinematographer: Samat Sharipov
Editing: Farhat Mametkurbanov
Sound: Dmitry Pushkaruk
Cast: Meruert Sabbusinova, Almas Bektibayev, Hamza Koksebek, Edige Ahmet
Production: Star_kz, Tandem Production
Contact:
Jasmina Vignjevic
Festivals
tél. +38765659214
[email protected]
www.syndicadofs.com
Year: 2019
Screening: 2020
DCP, Color, 75 min,
OV Kazakh witth English and French Electronic Subtitles
Locarno, Toronto and Busan International Film Festivals 2019
French Premiere
Mariam lives with her husband and four young children in a home without light and water in Eginsu, a far-away village nestled on the Kazakh Steppe. On a winter day, the husband disappears without a trace. Because there is no body, he cannot officially be declared dead and as a result, Mariam cannot receive state financial support. Alone, Mariam, a very reserved person who buries her emotions deep inside, must take survival into her hands. Then, after the passing of time, just as everything has begun falling into place, her husband suddenly returns as if nothing has happened, expecting life to continue as before.
“Mariam”, Sharipa Urazbayeva's stunning debut is inspired by real events in the life of Meruert Sabbusinova, a woman she visited as part of a news segment while working for a local TV channel. Determined to tell her story after the meeting, Urazbayeva wrote the script and started pre-production within the week. When envisioning an actor for the part, she couldn’t imagine anyone for Mariam other than Meruert herself.
