Cypriot film Hold Onto Me will be released in K Cineplex cinemas on September 17 following an acclaimed international festival run, its producers said.

Written and directed by Myrsini Aristidou, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, becoming the first Cypriot feature selected for the festival’s international competition.

It also won the Audience Award for World Cinema Dramatic.

The film has since screened at major festivals around the world, earning awards and positive reviews.

Hold Onto Me follows 11-year-old Iris, who gets into trouble with police and comes face to face with her estranged father, Aris, who has returned to attend his own father’s funeral.

Determined to get to know him, Iris enters his isolated world despite his resistance. An unexpected relationship gradually develops between the two.

The film stars Christos Passalis and Maria Petrova and explores absence, family and the relationships that shape people.

Shot on location in Cyprus, the production was made by Filmblades and One Six One Films, with co production partners in Denmark and Greece.

The film is produced by Monica Nicolaidou and Aristidou, with several international partners and funding bodies supporting the project.