Sundance 2026: ‘HOLD ONTO ME’ Filmmaker, Star On Exceptional New Indie [VIDEO]

Myrsini Aristidou’s beguiling, emotionally resonant debut feature, HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με), cites three producing countries, Cyprus, Denmark and Greece. And it is now eligible to be submitted as an International Feature Oscar contender by Cyprus, one of the very few European nations that has yet to enter a film, but now has an official committee that was set up just in time for the 2026 film year. Cyprus, please consider this gem!

The film evokes Peter Bogdanovich’s Paper Moon and tells the story of a complicated relationship between an 11-year-old girl Iris (an impressive Maria Petrova) and her estranged, grifter papa, Aris (Dogtooth‘s Christos Passalis, extraordinary), who abandoned her and her brother many years earlier for reasons that remain a mystery. Aris returns to town for his father’s funeral just as Iris gets herself into legal trouble by “borrowing” a boat with her friend.

Aris is initially uninterested in knowing his daughter, but soon realizes she can be super helpful in his many conning endeavors, so the two team up and they slowly and authentically get to know each other and develop true feelings for one another. But Aris is in trouble with some goons and, soon, both their lives are in peril.

HOLD ONTO ME is a poignant, penetrating look at a deeply flawed man, not looking for redemption but finding it anyway. It strikes all the right notes right up until the nail-biting final sequence–and the optimistic (if you see it that way) ending.

Passalis delivers a bold, hypnotic performance, grounding  the film in reality, even when it must have a fairy tale feel. It’s the kind of screen acting that deserves awards attention.

Myrsini Aristidou is an award-winning Cypriot filmmaker whose short films Semele and Aria premiered at many major festivals including Venice, Sundance, Berlinale, and TIFF. Semele won the Jury Prize in the Generation section at the Berlinale. She is a former Cannes Cinéfondation Resident and alumna of theSam Spiegel International Film Lab, TIFF Talent Lab, and Berlinale Talents.

Christos Passalis, a Greek actor, director and playwright, co-founded the Blitz Theatre Group. His works have toured internationally at venues including Festival d’Avignon, Schaubühne, and Onassis Stegi.

He made his screen acting debut in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Oscar-nominated cinematic mindfuck, Dogtooth, followed by roles in Black Field, Homeland, The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea, and History’s Future.

As a filmmaker, he co-directed The City and the City (Berlinale Encounters, 2022) and made his solo feature debut with Silence 6-9, which premiered in competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The film is currently seeking distribution. Sales Agent: Cercamon.

HOLD ONTO ME won the Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award.

The Contending had the absolute pleasure of a video interview with both artists about this amazing film.