SALAM

Back in 2011, Melanie Georgiades – aka Diam’s - was a huge rap star in France, having clocked up four million album sales and a host of awards, when she withdrew from the music scene overnight. It soon emerged that Diam’s, who was born in Cyprus and raised a Christian, had converted to Islam and was devoting herself to an orphanage charity, Big Up Project. She also turned her back on celebrity. This documentary about her new life is directed by Houda Benyamina, Anne Cisse and Diam’s herself. Diam’s, her mother and various friends bear witness to her history of depression, self-harm and suicide attempts, while the latter part of the film is dedicated to the transformative revelations she found in the Quran. She speaks about this transition for the first time. Few outside the Francophone world will know Diam’s music, but her story raises important questions about mental health, Islamic identity and dealing with fame.