In a year in which the Best International Feature category has become even more expansive, a new country is submitting their first film for consideration in the prestigious Oscar category.

IndieWire can exclusively reveal that Cyprus is submitting Myrsini Aristidou’s “Hold Onto Me,” an award winner at Sundance 2026, as the inaugural film to represent the small Mediterranean island in Best International Feature at the 99th Academy Awards.

Aristidou’s feature debut premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at the Sundance Film Festival this year; it tells the story of a young girl named Iris who comes back into contact with her estranged father Aris shortly after running amok in her hometown, alongside her older friend Danae.

“From winning the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at Sundance to becoming Cyprus’s historic first official entry for the Academy Awards, this film has truly persevered against all odds,” said Aristidou via statement. “While the picture follows a young girl seeking out a father figure, its heartbeat is a universal reminder that in an increasingly fractured world, we ought to remember to hold onto each other.”

Prior to “Hold Onto Me,” Aristidou directed the short “Semele,” which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival, and “Aria,” which was made with the support of Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, and premiered at the 2017 Venice Film Festival. The Cypriot director is also an alum of programs like the Cannes Cinéfondation Residence and the TIFF Talent Lab, and won the Spiegel Lab’s Emerging Filmmaker Prize.

Aristidou added, “I am deeply grateful and honored to represent my country with such an intimate story, a debut feature that took many years to realize. We know we enter this race as an underdog, but we have made it this far because of the profound connection and warmth we’ve received from international audiences. We will keep aiming high, giving it all we’ve got, and trusting the film to continue finding its way into people’s hearts.”

Countries have until Wednesday, September 30, 2026 to make their submissions for Best International Feature. Preliminary voting for the 10 shortlisted Oscars categories will occur from December 7 through 11. The following week, on Tuesday, December 15, the Academy will announce its Oscars shortlists, and voters will later choose the five Best International Feature nominees from a list of the 15 submissions that received the most votes.

The 2027 Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 21, and the 99th Academy Awards will occur on Sunday, March 14, 2027.

We have the first official trailer for Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott.

Simon Stone (The Dig) directs Elsinore, based on the life of Ian Charleson, written by Stephen Beresford (Pride). The official synopsis reads: Elsinore is a powerful, deeply moving, and inspiring true story of the actor Ian Charleson, who faced incredible odds while preparing to give the performance of his life in Hamlet at the National Theatre in London.

Scott stars as Charleson. He leads the film alongside Olivia Colman. Scott is also a producer on the film. The wider cast features Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, David Dawson, Monica Dolan, Matthew Beard, Joe Locke, Georgie Glen, Sadie Soverall, Adeel Akhtar, Dickie Beau, with Juliet Stevenson and Peter Mullan.

Andrea Occhipintio of Lucky Red (Il Divo) produced the film with Gabrielle Tana of Magnolia Mae Films (The Dig), along with Pete Shilaimon and Mickey Liddell of LD Entertainment (Jackie), and Stefano Massenzi and Carolyn Marks Blackwood.

This film has received enthusiastic reviews following debut screenings at the fall festivals. Deadline’s Pete Hammond described Scott’s performance as “heartbreakingly great” and a “performance for the ages.”

Elsinore will next screen at the London Film Festival. StudioCanal will release the film in UK cinemas on January 29, 2027. Focus has the U.S. rights and will open the film on November 20.

“The movie is also a love letter to Britain’s National Theatre, a sprawling monument to the power of art and artists, an “Elsinore” unto itself,” Hammond wrote.

Check out the trailer above.