Indonesian movie Maryam, directed by Sidi Saleh, has won The Best Short Film Award at the 71st Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy.

A social, cultural and educational division official from the Indonesian Embassy in Rome, Nindarsari Utomo, said on Monday that in the best short film category, Maryam was first pitted against 11 other short movies from around the globe that were represented at the festival, which was held from Aug. 27 to Sept. 6.

Nindarsari said that during the competition, judges assessed Maryam on Sept. 5 along with six other nominated films, namely Guillaume Gouix's Mademoiselle, Idan Hubal's Pat-lehem, Pedro Harres' Castillo y el Armando, Carl-Johan Westegard's Cams, Avelina Prat and Diego Opazo's 3/105 and Ramini Bahrain's Lift You Up.

'Thank God, I could be one of the winners this year,' Sidi said on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said that he hoped Maryam, his second movie, would be nominated for the Ozu Film Festival in Italy, which will be held in November.

Maryam is the story of the experience of a pregnant Muslim housemaid, Maryam, who accompanies her Catholic employer to a church in Jakarta for a Christmas celebration, said 37-year-old Jakarta-based Sidi.

In 2013, Sidi also won a similar award from his first movie, entitled Fitri, at the Clermont-Ferrand International Festival in Paris, France. (alz)