The film was shot entirely in Cyprus with an international creative team and is a co-production between Cyprus, Greece, and Denmark, with the participation of the United States. The production was supported by the Deputy Ministry of Culture of Cyprus, the Danish Film Institute, EKOMEΔ, ERT, and the Black Family Grant of NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Set against a sun-drenched coastal landscape, the film follows Iris, an 11-year-old girl spending her summer with her older friend, Danae. When Iris discovers that her estranged father, Aris, has returned to the island for her grandfather’s funeral, she decides to search for him. Her journey leads her to an abandoned shipyard where Aris lives in isolation. What begins as an attempt at reconnection gradually evolves into a fragile and profoundly human bond.
Aristidou approaches the film as the completion of a trilogy that began with Semeli and Aria, both of which explored different stages of the father–daughter relationship. Hold Onto Me goes deeper, tracing “the quiet, often unspoken longing born from a father’s absence,” and capturing the tentative beginnings of a relationship struggling to find space to exist. As a Cypriot filmmaker, Aristidou seeks to highlight “weathered landscapes, the slow passage of time, and the undercurrents of emotion that continue to shape us. In many ways, Iris reflects Cyprus itself: small, often overlooked, marked by absences, yet determined to reconnect and stand on its own again.”
In the lead role is 11-year-old Maria Petrova (Iris), of Cypriot–Bulgarian descent, delivering an impressive first-ever cinematic performance. Opposite her stars acclaimed Greek actor, director, and playwright Christos Passalis (Dogtooth, The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea; co-director of The City and the City – Berlinale Encounters), portraying the introverted and deeply vulnerable Aris.
About the Director
Myrsini Aristidou is a fellow of the Cannes Cinéfondation Résidence and a recipient of the Emerging Filmmaker Award from the Sam Spiegel Film Lab. Her work has screened at the Venice, Sundance, Toronto, and Berlin International Film Festivals, where Semeli received the Generation Kplus Special Jury Prize. Hold Onto Me is her feature debut and her most personal work to date.
Producers
Monika Nikolaidou, Myrsini Aristidou, Anders N.U. Berg, Konstantina Stavrianou,
Irene Vougioukalou
Executive Producers
Thomas J. Mangan IV, Mark Hollinger
Production Companies
Filmblades (Cyprus)
One Six One Films (Cyprus)
Fredo Pictures (Denmark)
Graal (Greece)
Pleasant Bay Pictures (USA)
Mango Productions (USA)
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Contact
ONE SIX ONE FILMS – Myrsini Aristidou
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | +33 07 50 65 91 87
www.161films.com
FILMBLADES – Monika Nikolaidou
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | +357 99 68 62 20
www.filmblades.com
