The Department of Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announces that the seven-member National Oscar Nomination Committee has completed its work for the year 2026 in accordance with the criteria and established procedures as defined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
After reviewing the films that were submitted, the Committee selected the film “Hold Onto Me” (“Hold Onto Me”) by Myrsini Aristidou as Cyprus’s first official submission for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles, USA, on March 14, 2027. The film has been officially submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Cyprus at the 78th Frankfurt International Book Fair 2026
The Deputy Ministry of Culture and the National Oscar Nomination Committee wish every success to director Myrsini Aristidou, producer Ms. Monica Nikolaidou (Filmblades), and to everyone involved in the film.
Film Details:
Screenplay and Direction: Myrsini Aristidou
Director of Photography: Lasse Ulvedal Tolbel
Production Designer: Dimitra Sourlantzi
Costume Designer: Sasha Paloudan
Editor: Jenna Manguland
Music: Alex Weston
Sound Recording: Stavros Terlikkas
Sound Design: Christos Kyriakoulis, Aris Louziotis
Mixing: Kostas Varibombitis
Color Grading: Brian Goose
Makeup: Ioanna Nika, Giorgos Vavanos
Hair and Makeup: Sotiris Foiniris
Casting Directors: Daina Papadaki, Michalis Michailidis, Lydia Georgana
Cast: Christos Passalis, Maria Petrova, Aulona Lupa, Jenny Sallo, Nicolas Metaxas, Achilles Grammatikopoulos
Production: Filmblades, 1.61 Films
Awards: – 2026 Sundance International Film Festival – Audience
Award(selected) – Sofia International Film Festival 2026 – Honorable Mention for
Maria Petrova
– Cyprus Film Days 2026 – Best Film, Best
Directing, Audience
Award – Los Angeles Greek Film Festival – Best Film
– International Film Festival 2026 – Media Choice Award for
Filmmaker, Best Performance Award for Maria Petrova
Synopsis:
Eleven-year-old Iris learns that her estranged father, Aris, has returned for his own father’s funeral. Her need to get to know him leads her to an old shipyard where he lives alone. There, an unexpected relationship begins—full of tenderness and conflict—that will transform them both.
