2026 | Cyprus, Denmark, Greece | 102 Minutes | Greek

Director: Myrsini Aristidou

It's summer in Cyprus, and 11-year-old Iris is running wild through the streets with her older friend Danae when she learns that 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. Myrsini Aristidou's debut feature traces the quiet, often unspoken longing that forms in the absence of a father, and the unsettling vulnerability of two people who know of each other but do not truly know one another.

Content advisories: None

About The Director

Myrsini Aristidou is a Cypriot filmmaker who studied Film and Art History at Pratt Institute 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 in Berlinale's Generation section. A former Cannes Cinefondation Resident and alumna of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab and Berlinale Talents, she makes her feature debut with Hold Onto Me.

Schedule

Thursday, October 23

Centennial Building | 416 Centre St S | Whitby

5:30pm - Gala Opening Night Reception

7:00pm - Doors Open

7:30pm - Welcome and Sponsorship Acknowledgement

7:40pm - Screening of Hold Onto Me

9:30pm - Event Concludes