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bookWORM; Sidi Saleh: Connect to the world through print

Award-winning filmmaker Sidi Saleh says books are vitamins for his brain

Novia D. Rulistia (The Jakarta Post)
Mon, January 19, 2015

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bookWORM;   Sidi Saleh:   Connect   to the   world   through  print

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ward-winning filmmaker Sidi Saleh says books are vitamins for his brain. They have become a connecting door between him and the world, through which he can try to understand other people'€™s minds.

'€œThrough books I can know what people are thinking and talking about; what kinds of things interest them,'€ he said.

Sidi, who has been reading since he was very young, understands well that reading expands his thinking, which then leads to the emergence of autocriticism.

'€œI'€™ve learned that reading has given me greater self-awareness, allowing me to criticize myself. And that'€™s a good way to improve yourself,'€
he said.

However, he does not like to read books that are too thick, saying that it takes him a long time to finish them '€” if he does not eventually forget to complete them.

'€œIt will take me about a year maybe to read more than 600 pages. I can finish a book in two weeks if it is less than 600, and is interesting,'€ he said.

Sidi rose to fame when his short film Maryam won the Best Short Film Award at the 71st Venice International Film Festival in Italy last year.

Apart from being a director, 35-year-old Sidi is also known as a cinematographer for commercial feature-length movies.

'€˜History of Beauty'€™
by Umberto Eco

I never get bored of reading History of Beauty; I have re-read this book so many times. The text and images are very enjoyable to read. The book also becomes my reference point when I need an idea to complete my projects.

All works by Alan Moore

I'€™m a huge fan of Alan Moore; I have all of his works. I like Neonomicon, Promethea, Watchmen and others. I also have his biography. I adore him because his works are often confrontational, providing readers with lots of new visions on many things. He also writes a lot about human behavior and thanks to the illustrations, the message is well received.

Books about films

I first read books about film in college when I studied cinematography, and have always enjoyed them ever since. I like reading biographies of filmmakers or about the history of film. My favorite reads are, among others, Cinemas of The Mind: A Critical History of Film Theory by Nicole Tredell and The Story of Film by Mark Cousins.

'€” JP/Novia D. Rulistia

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