Cypriot director Myrsini Aristidou has launched an Oscar campaign for her debut feature “Hold Onto Me,” which achieved dual milestones this year. The film won the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at Sundance earlier in the year, and in September was selected to represent Cyprus in the international feature category at the Academy Awards—marking the first submission from the island nation in that Oscar race.
The film centers on an 11-year-old girl named Iris and her estranged father Aris, who returns to town for his own father’s funeral. As Aris initially resists reconnection with his daughter, her persistence gradually softens his resistance, exploring the possibility of rebuilding their fractured relationship. The cast features newcomer Maria Petrova in the lead role and actor Christos Passalis, known for his work in Greek cinema.
Aristidou, 36, made the film after spending seven years in the United States studying at Pratt Institute and New York University. She describes the project as a homecoming to Cyprus, where she shot a Greek-language film in the community where she grew up. The director drew on personal experience, as her own parents divorced when she was young and her father re-entered her life during her teenage years. She emphasized her focus on capturing the textures of daily life in Cyprus and the emotional complexity of building a relationship with an absent parent.
The director acknowledged the challenges of her Oscar campaign, noting that Cyprus has limited resources for such efforts. She characterized her entry as an underdog effort while expressing optimism about the film’s prospects. Aristidou credited the chemistry between her two leads partly to circumstance—the actors had minimal rehearsal time before production began, allowing their on-screen bond to develop organically as they got to know each other during filming. “Hold Onto Me” received positive critical reception, with reviewers praising its emotional depth and distinctive storytelling approach.
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