CFD 26| Hold Onto Me

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International Competition

Hold Onto Me

LEM 17/04 > 20:00
NIC 19/04 > 20:00

102', 2025
Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, USA

Directed by
Myrsini Aristidou

Screenplay
Myrsini Aristidou

Cinematography
Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll

Editing
Jenna Mangulad
Myrsini Aristidou

Production Design
Dimitra Sourlantzi

Music
Alex Weston

Sound Design
Kostas Varympopiotis

Cast
Christos Passalis
Maria Petrova

Producers
Monica Nicolaidou
Myrsini Aristidou
Anders N.U Berg
Konstantina Stavrianou
Rena Vougioukalou

Production Companies
Filmblades
One Six One Films
Fredo Pictures
Graal
Pleasant Bay Pictures
Mango Productions

Synopsis
It’s summer, and 11-year-old Iris is running wild through the streets with her older friend Danae when she learns her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father’s funeral. Determined to know him, Iris tracks him down to a dilapidated shipyard, where he has been keeping to himself. What begins as a stubborn attempt to reconnect slowly unfolds into a fragile bond — imperfect yet poignant.

Biography
Myrsini Aristidou is a Cypriot filmmaker with international acclaim. She studied Film and Art History at Pratt Institute, New York, before earning her MFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her short films Semele and Aria premiered at Venice, Sundance, Berlinale, and TIFF, with Semele winning the Jury Prize at Berlinale. She has participated in Cannes Cinéfondation, Sam Spiegel International Film Lab, TIFF Talent Lab, and Berlinale Talents. Hold Onto Me marks her feature debut. Myrsini is also the founder of Sagapo Children’s Foundation, empowering underprivileged children through education and creativity.

Filmography
2025 Hold Onto Me
2017 Aria (s.f.)
2015 Semele (s.f.)
2013 Not Now (s.f.)

Awards
Audience Award – World Cinema Dramatic Competition, Sundance Film Festival, USA, 2026