Saria is a short film by director Bryan Buckley that’s based on true events. The short follows two inseparable orphaned sisters — Saria and Ximena — who fight against daily abuse and hardship at the Virgen de La Asuncion Safe Home in Guatemala. Ultimately, 41 orphaned girls lost their lives in a fire at the facility, and to date, no one has been charged. Survivors are currently in the middle of a legal battle with the Guatemalan Government.
Hungry Man Productions produced the project, which is nominated in this year’s Best Live Action Short category. Buckley used real orphans from the Ministerios De Amor Orphanage in Mexico City to work on the film, feeling that, if given an opportunity, they could shine. Both lead actresses, Estefania Tellez (Saria) and Gabriela Ramirez (Ximena) worked together to get their parts in the film (www.sariafilm.com/story).
According to the director, the project was shot on an Arri Alexa Mini with Anamorphic lenses, and edited by Chris Franklin at Big Sky Edit. It runs approximately 22 minutes in length.
Phil Crowe from The Mill LA oversaw the visual effects. Matt Osborne served as colorist. Tom Jucarone at Sound Lounge in New York City handled the sound mix.