- Occupation
Director - Country
Czech Republic
Jandejsková Linda
Sit Beside Me
Amidst the astonishing poverty of Calcutta streets, one woman creates a miraculous melting pot where rich, poor, destitute, Hindu, Muslim and Christian children unite, actively rewire their society and create a future of their own choosing. Meet Maya, who, when 5 years old, managed to take care for her two-years-old sister for 6 months alone in a train station. Meet Kali, a young girl from the streets who now has the power not only to fight for her abused mother, but for the education and rights of women and girls in general. Meet Saloni, Anamika, Anges and others who are among thousands of children who are reaching out to help and back one another. Filmed over seven years in Calcutta, Sit Beside Me is a journey into the surprising lives of Sr. Cyril’s children and how they are reinventing their society, one child at a time.
Amidst the astonishing poverty of Calcutta streets, one woman creates a miraculous melting pot where rich, poor, destitute, Hindu, Muslim and Christian children unite, actively rewire their society and create a future of their own choosing. Meet Maya, who, when 5 years old, managed to take care for her two-years-old sister for 6 months alone in a train station. Meet Kali, a young girl from the streets who now has the power not only to fight for her abused mother, but for the education and rights of women and girls in general. Meet Saloni, Anamika, Anges and others who are among thousands of children who are reaching out to help and back one another. Filmed over seven years in Calcutta, Sit Beside Me is a journey into the surprising lives of Sr. Cyril’s children and how they are reinventing their society, one child at a time.
Linda Jandejsková is a Czech filmmaker based in Prague and New York. She studied Multimedia Arts at CUNY, and since 2007 she has been dedicated to documentary film making. She is recipient of the Mortimer Hays-Brandeis Fellowship in support of the project Three Women - One World. Her work includes the film Sit Beside Me (co-director, editor), the short documentary Working Young about child labor in Nepal, (dir, camera, editor) and other short projects. She currently works as editor, and director.
Sit Beside Me (2012) co-dir, editorWorking Young dir, editor
Catalogue of Upcoming Czech Documentary Films - 2012