Cypriot cinema is making a significant impact on the international scene, with several locally funded productions winning prestigious awards at film festivals in Europe and Asia, producers said on Tuesday.
Director Tonia Misiali’s second feature film, The Lion at My Back earned the Ecumenical Jury Award at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
Supported by the deputy ministry of culture, the film narrates the story of an unexpected bond between a teenage asylum seeker from Senegal and a 40-year-old Cypriot woman.
It is a co-production involving Cyprus, Luxembourg and Greece, starring Sochna Diallo, Elena Kallinikou, Prokopis Agathokleous and Herodotos Miltiadous.
Another Cypriot co-production, Almost a Whole Man, directed by Greek-German filmmaker Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis, received the Best Director award in the festival’s Proxima section.
This film was produced in collaboration with partners from Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus, Romania and Greece, also with support from the deputy ministry of culture.
Meanwhile, Myrsini Aristidou’s Hold Onto Me continues its successful festival journey after winning the Audience Award at Sundance earlier this year.
Young actress Maria Petrova was recognised with a performance award at the Shanghai International Film Festival for her role in the film.
Cypriot filmmaker Elias Dimitriou also achieved notable success with *Mariselle*, which won Best Feature Film, Best Production, Best Director, and Best Cinematography at the South East Academy International Film Festival in the Philippines.
The film has already garnered awards at festivals in Manchester, Tokyo, Osaka and Cyprus, and will be screened next at the Taunus Film Festival in Germany this August, marking an impressive international journey for Cypriot cinema.
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