Mailin (Mailin)

María Silvia Esteve

Mailin, a 37-year-old single mother, wakes in a dreamlike forest and begins narrating a fairytale that becomes a metaphor for her childhood. As a trial unfolds against the priest Carlos José, who abused her for 15 years – alongside 121 other women whose cases were dismissed – Mailin revisits her past. Through fragmented memories shaped by trauma, she recalls her pain while caring for her five-year-old daughter, Ona, who knows nothing about the process she’s going through. A story of guilt emerges as Mailin’s family oppressed by silence blames themselves for not seeing what was happening. And although Mailin has broken her silence to change this narrative, and protect her daughter and other children from Carlos José, she faces a wall of corruption that structures the justice system.

Argentina, France, Romania 2025, '89

DIRECTOR: María Silvia Esteve

SCENARIO: María Silvia Esteve

CAMERA: María Silvia Esteve, Andrea Cabrera

MONTAGE: María Silvia Esteve

MUSIC: María Silvia Esteve, Ieronim Pogorilovschi, Codrin Lazăr

PRODUCERS: María Silvia Esteve, Alejandra López, Cristina Hanes, Radu Stancu

PRODUCTION: HANA Films, Ikki Films, DeFilm

FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

IDFA
Göteborg FF
Thessaloniki IDFF

María Silvia Esteve

María Silvia Esteve is an Argentine director and producer. Educated in arts and lyrical singing since her youth, she studied and taught cinema at the University of Buenos Aires. She has been an official jury member at numerous international film festivals, and member of the evaluation committee of the Colombian Film Fund, Proimágenes. Her first documentary feature Silvia had its World Premiere at IDFA 2018. The film won at Docaviv, Habana Film Festival, DocLisboa, amongst others. Her film Criatura won the Pardino d’oro for the Best Auteur Short film at the Locarno Film Festival 2021, and was selected in more than 100 festivals including Sitges, Fantasia, MIFF, Gouna. Her short film The Spiral had its Premiere at the Director’s Fortnight Cannes 2022, and was selected at the New Directors/New Films MoMA, Hong Kong International Film Festival, and IDFA. Her next feature film Mailin won the IDFA Bertha Fund, the Brouillon d'un rêve de la Scam, Sacem, the CNC - Aide au cinéma du Monde. The project was a double award winner at the Visions du Réel Industry 2022 as the project with the highest international potential, and got the Main Post Production Award at the TiDF26 AGORA - Thessaloniki Film Festival.