The feature film “Hold Onto Me,” directed and written by Cypriot filmmaker Myrsini Aristidou, opens in Cyprus cinemas on September 17 at K-Cineplex venues nationwide, according to a press release.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the press release states, where it was selected for the festival’s official international competition category. The announcement describes this as the first time a Cypriot feature film has been selected for that category.
According to the release, the film screened to sold-out audiences at Sundance and received a standing ovation at its premiere before going on to win the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic category. The press release adds that the film has since screened at other international festivals.
The press release includes quotes attributed to three outlets. Sundance Film Festival is quoted as calling it “an exceptional directorial debut.” Next Best Picture is quoted describing the performances as “strikingly authentic.” The Playlist is quoted as saying the film “breathes new life into a classic indie story.”
According to the release, the film follows 11-year-old Iris, who gets into trouble with the police and is brought back into contact with her estranged father, Aris, after he returns to Cyprus for his own father’s funeral. The release describes a relationship that develops between them despite his initial resistance.
The film stars Christos Passalis and Maria Petrova, the release states, and is described in the announcement as a story about absence, family and the relationships that shape people.
The press release says the film was shot entirely in Cyprus.
Credits listed in the press release include Monica Nicolaides and Myrsini Aristidou as producers, Anders N.U. Berg, Konstantina Stavrianou and Rena Vougioukalou as co-producers, and Mark Hollinger and Thomas J. Mangan IV as executive producers. The film is produced by Filmblades (Cyprus) and One Six One Films (Cyprus), in co-production with Fredo Pictures (Denmark), Graal Films (Greece), the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture’s Department of Contemporary Culture, and ERT, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.
