Hold Onto Me: A Personal Father‑Daughter Drama From Cyprus Eyes Oscar Milestone with Newcomer and Dogtooth Alum

Set during a Cyprus summer, 11‑year‑old Iris enjoys days with her older friend Danae. When she learns of her grandfather’s death, her estranged father Aris, a stranger to her, arrives in town for the funeral.

Starring newcomer Maria Petrova and *Dogtooth* alumnus Christos Passalis, *Hold Onto Me* debuted at Sundance, earning the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award, and was selected as Cyprus’s first international feature submission for the Oscars.

The film is now featured in the Just Film youth and children’s program of the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in Estonia, with Cercamon managing sales.

Cinematographer Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll and editors Jenna Mangulad and Aristidou worked on the Cyprus‑Denmark‑Greece co‑production. Producer Monica Nicolaidou, together with Thomas J. Mangan IV and Mark Hollinger as executive producers and Anders N.U. Berg, Konstantina Stavrianou, and Rena Vougioukalou as co‑producers, oversaw production.

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Aristidou spoke with *The Hollywood Reporter* about her debut feature, which pairs an unknown actress as the young girl at its center with Christos Passalis, the actor who portrayed the son in *Dogtooth*. She aimed to give *Hold Onto Me* a distinctive tone while marking Cyprus’s first Oscar submission.

The father‑daughter theme recurs in two of Aristidou’s short films. She describes the body of work as a triptych, noting that her 2015 short *Semele* examined the same dynamic, and her later short *Aria* featured a teenage daughter. Both shorts were brief but motivated her to delve deeper into the subject.

*Hold Onto Me* lets Aristidou explore this theme in feature length, aiming for a fresh, surprising approach to familiar family narratives. She frames the story as a love tale between two strangers who initially lack familiarity, gradually discovering common ground and ultimately learning to accept—and perhaps love—one another, a dynamic heightened by the father‑daughter family context.

Societal expectations shape the narrative. Aristidou notes that family members are typically expected to love one another, yet these two characters are strangers with no shared history, making their reconnection a central focus.

Aristidou intentionally lets the characters and plot evolve throughout the film. She admits that on a debut feature she kept a strict grip on narrative momentum, striving to advance the story in each scene.

The filmmaker’s personal history informs the recurring father‑daughter theme. She explains that after her parents’ divorce, her father was largely absent; it wasn’t until she was 12 or 13 that they began to reconnect, and by ages 15 and 16 they had forged a strong bond, open communication, forgiveness, and mutual understanding.

Set in Cyprus, the film holds personal significance for Aristidou, who grew up by the sea. She notes that her father’s modest boat and her habit of spending time with older friends infuse the story with authenticity.

The on‑screen chemistry between Iris and Aris is evident. Casting required extensive effort. The director planned to begin shooting in July and, in April, chose to cast Christos. She arranged for him to interact with various children in Athens before traveling to Cyprus to meet the eventual lead, Maria, who had no prior acting experience. She observed that they possessed a familial chemistry and a resemblance that suggested a natural connection.

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After finalizing the casting, rehearsals with the two leads proved impossible. Christos was occupied with another project and contracted COVID, arriving only a day before filming. The crew read the script once and then began shooting, thrusting the untrained Maria into the role alongside him. She believes this spontaneous approach mirrored the characters’ lack of familiarity and ultimately succeeded.

The Oscar submission holds special significance as Cyprus’s inaugural entry, and Aristidou describes it as a great honor, feeling a responsibility toward her country. She notes that the film and her journey are forging a new path for Cypriot cinema, a sector previously unrepresented at Sundance and now recognized with an audience award and an Oscar nod. Though aware of the underdog status, she remains enthusiastic about the experience.

Looking ahead, Aristidou is drawn to stories of strangers discovering commonality. While she doesn’t plan to revisit a father‑daughter film, she is developing a crime‑spy thriller TV series and remains open to directing material she hasn’t written herself, as her U.S. agents continue to send numerous scripts.

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