Maris Lidaka is a filmmaker and editor with 20 years of experience in the industry.
His work has screened in high-profile film festivals, aired on mainstream streaming platforms and been viewed online by millions.
His work has been described as “thoughtful”, “visually striking”, “insightful”, and “meditative”. His skill in blending the technical and creative aspects of visual storytelling brought his work tremendous accolades such as:
BREAKAWAY (2022) | Oscar Qualified Short Film
GABRIELA (2022) | Netflix Sponsored Short Film
TIA MOWRY’S QUICK FIX (2021) | Broadcast and Digital Series with Multiple Spinoffs
PAPER TIGERS (2018) | Streamy Award Nomination
Maris was raised in Oak Park,Illinois in an interracial family. While exploring his Mixed identity, he also experimented in various art forms including writing, drawing, photography, acting and filmmaking. When he was 13, he moved to Denmark where over the next five years he made the decision to become a filmmaker.
He returned to his hometown of Chicago where he graduated from Columbia College Chicago. He began immediately working in the industry and moved to Los Angeles in 2009 where he began working on studio feature films, digital content, commercials and documentaries as a producer and editor. This enabled him to work with high profile clients such as Netflix, Disney, Warner Brothers, HP and Verizon.
Recently he founded the Blended Future Project, a content creation and media education company that works to bring the Mixed experience into the mainstream narrative. Using all of his creative skills, Maris was able to build an audience through a blog which has received thousands of reads.
He has created online events for individuals to share their journey being multiracial or multicultural. He’s been a featured speaker for several podcasts and organizations such as The Nasiona, The Multiracial Association of Southern California, and The Mixed Space. His company has produced the short films Gabriela and Breakaway, which have received several accolades and are on their current festival run.
He has a keen sense of pacing, style and precision with each of his edits. His technical knowledge is quite vast and was often able to troubleshoot without requiring assistance. Maris always rises to each and every challenge that is presented to him.
Brad Jones
He’s a true professional. Maris always keeps his cool – even during the most high-pressure shoot situations – and always takes the initiative in getting the best shot possible.