Following a summer shoot across Limassol, Nicosia and nearby coastal towns, Hold Onto Me (Κράτα Με), the debut feature by Cypriot writer-director Myrsini Aristidou, is now in post-production. The coming-of-age drama explores the emotional turbulence of a girl’s longing to reunite with her absent father.

Set in Cyprus, the story follows 11-year-old Iris, whose carefree days spent with her older friend Danae are interrupted by the unexpected return of her estranged father, Aris, for his own father’s funeral. Resolving to finally meet the man who’s long been absent from her life, Iris tracks him down to a forgotten shipyard. What begins as a stubborn quest for recognition evolves into a subtle, uneasy bond marked by conflict, tentative gestures and emotional fragility. The cast features Christos Passalis (Dogtooth [+lire aussi :
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The movie was filmed partly in a decaying shipyard, a location that becomes a powerful symbol in the film. Speaking to Cineuropa, Aristidou explains, “The shipyard is more than just a location; it reflects the emotional neglect and abandonment that Iris feels in her relationship with her father. It’s a liminal space: forgotten by time, suspended between land and sea, much like Iris and Aris, trapped between a past they can’t escape and a future they don’t exactly know how to enter.” She had envisioned filming there for over a decade: “Now the place is being erased by luxury real estate, so I felt the need to capture it before it was gone.”

Following her acclaimed short films Semele and Aria, Aristidou continues to delve into the complexities of family relationships, with a particular focus on father-daughter dynamics. A former participant in development programmes such as the Cannes Cinéfondation Residence, Berlinale Talents, the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab and the TIFF Talent Lab, she directs her debut feature with cinematography by Danish DoP Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll (Sweet Thing, Knight of Fortune). She also co-edits the film alongside Jenna Mangulad (Sons of Denmark [+lire aussi :
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Working with young actors, particularly Maria Petrova in the role of Iris, required a sensitive, intuitive approach. “When directing children, my focus is on creating a space where they can exist truthfully, moment to moment,” says Aristidou. “Trust is everything – it allows them to remain open, to stay innocent, while still being committed to what they’re doing.” Aristidou focused on creating an atmosphere where the performers could respond organically: “You have to allow space for their naïveté to come through, rather than trying to shape or control it. That’s where the magic lives, in the honesty they bring when they feel safe enough to simply be.”

Aristidou also draws a poignant parallel between her young protagonist and the film’s setting. “In many ways, Iris mirrors Cyprus itself: small, overlooked, marked by absence, yet quietly determined to piece things together,” she reflects. “The island is shaped by contradictions, warmth and isolation, beauty and neglect, connection and division. Its political history, marked by invasion, displacement and a constant sense of uncertainty, mirrors the emotional landscape of the film.” While the political backdrop is never explicit, she adds, “That quiet vulnerability is what I wanted to explore, not overtly, but as something felt beneath the surface. Because I grew up here, that complexity feels instinctive to me.”

Hold Onto Me is a Cypriot-Danish-Greek-US co-production by Monica Nicolaidou for Filmblades and Aristidou’s One Six One Films, in co-production with Anders N U Berg for Denmark’s Fredo Pictures, and Konstantina Stavrianou and Rena Vougioukalou for Athens-based Graal SA, while Mark Hollinger and Thomas J Mangan IV serve as executive producers for Pleasant Bay Pictures (USA) and Mango Productions (USA). The film is supported by the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture, ERT SA, the Danish Film Institute, the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center, the Black Family Film Foundation (NYU Tisch), Pleasant Bay Pictures and the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab, which awarded the project its Emerging Filmmaker Prize.

Hold Onto Me is expected to be completed by summer 2025. In Denmark, the film is represented by Angel Films. International sales details are yet to be announced.