The Cypriot feature film Hold Onto Me by writer‑director Myrsini Aristidou has been officially selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2026, the Culture Ministry said Thursday.
It is the first time a Cypriot feature has entered the festival’s international competition.
The film will have its world premiere in Utah, at the U.S.’s largest showcase for independent cinema organized by the Sundance Institute.
Aristidou, a Cannes Cinefondation fellow and winner of the Sam Spiegel Film Lab’s Emerging Filmmaker Award, previously directed the acclaimed shorts Semele (2015) and Aria (2017), screened at Venice, Toronto, Tribeca, Berlin and Sundance. Hold Onto Me completes her trilogy exploring father‑daughter relationships.
The film follows 11‑year‑old Iris, played by newcomer Maria Petrova, who seeks out her estranged father during her grandfather’s funeral.
Greek actor Christos Passalis co‑stars.
Shot entirely in Cyprus, the production is a Cyprus‑Greece‑Denmark co‑production with U.S. participation, backed by the Cypriot Culture Ministry, the Danish Film Institute, Greece’s EKOME, ERT and NYU Tisch’s Black Family Grant.