Myrsini Aristidou

Aristidou was born and raised in Limassol, Cyprus. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and History of Art from Pratt Institute in New York, and a Master of Fine Arts in Film Directing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.^[9] In 2016, she founded her production company One Six One Films operating in Cyprus and internationally. She has been selected to participate at the Cannes Cinéfondation Residence, and the TIFF Talent Lab, while also winning the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Scriptwriter Lab's Emerging Filmmaker Prize.^[10][11]

Aristidou’s debut short film, Not Now (2013), established her minimalist visual approach and focus on interpersonal relationships, winning Best Directing at the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus (2014).^[12]

Her short film Semele (2015) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize (Generation Kplus) at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival, with the jury noting its “sober and unsentimental approach” as “very touching.”^[13][14] The story, centered on a young girl hitchhiking to reach her estranged father’s workplace, was praised for its emotional depth. It screened in more than 70 festivals worldwide, including Tribeca Festival, and won awards such as Best Short Film at the Cayman Islands International Film Festival (2016) and the Jury Award at the New Orleans Film Festival (2016), and the Signis Award Prize at the Guanajuato International Film Festival.^[15] The film was later broadcast by Canal+ France.

In 2017, Aristidou short film Aria premiered in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival and later screened at the Sundance Film Festival.^[16][17] Set in contemporary Athens, it follows seventeen-year-old Aria who works at the local kebab place, and is waiting for a driving lesson with her father, only for him to arrive and drop off a young Chinese immigrant for a day. The film navigates questions of responsibility, cultural identity, and belonging. Aria was developed and produced with the support of Canal+, the CNC COSIP (France’s national film support fund), the Spike Lee Film Production Fund, and the Cypriot Ministry of Culture.^[18]

Aristidou’s debut feature, Hold onto Me (Κράτα Με), is a Cyprus–Denmark–Greece–U.S. co-production shot by cinematographer Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll.^[19] It is backed by the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture, ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation), the Danish Film Institute, the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Centre, the Black Family Film Foundation, and the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab.^[20] The film stars Christos Passalis in the lead role, alongside Maria Petrova, a young non-actress, and a Greek-Cypriot ensemble cast.^[21] The film had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic in 2026.^[6]