NICOSIA: Finnish-UK sales agent The Yellow Affair has acquired international rights for Cypriot director Tonia Mishiali’s The Lion at My Back, which will celebrate its world premiere in the Crystal Globe Competition at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (3 – 11 July 2026). The film is a coproduction between Cyprus, Luxembourg, and Greece.
“Making a film is a bit like therapy, you expose yourself completely. But when it is finished, you have to let it go and trust that it will find its place where audiences will ‘see’ it for what it is. I can think of no better place for The Lion at My Back to begin that journey than KVIFF, a festival very close to my heart, and I am delighted that The Yellow Affair will help carry it forward”, Tonia Mishiali told FNE.
Mariama, a teenage Senegalese asylum seeker, and Stella, a Cypriot recovering drug addict, are striving to rebuild their lives. When their paths first cross they use each other, but their shared struggle for survival, in a world that failed them both, sparks an unexpected mother-daughter bond. Together, they redefine the true meaning of love and family, in a heartwarming tale of sacrifice, female solidarity and empowerment.
Tonia Mishiali co-wrote the script with Dianne Jones and Simona Nobile. French emerging talent Sokhna Diallo and seasoned Cypriot actress Elena Kallinikou play the leads.
The film was produced by Bark Like A Cat Films (Cyprus) in coproduction with Iris Productions (Luxembourg), and Avaton Films (Greece), with support from the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture, the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center S.A. – CREATIVE GREECE – Recovery and Resilience Facility Co-Production Window (Greece), Film Fund Luxembourg – Cineworld, and Creative Europe MEDIA – Mini-Slate Funding.
The producers are Tonia Mishiali, Katarzyna Ozga, Nicolas Steil, Marinos Charalambous, and Vladimiros Subotic. Antoine Simkine is associate producer.
The project, featuring a strong industry track record, previously secured the sound postproduction award at the 2025 Connecting Cottbus Works in Progress and participated in the TIFF AGORA Co-Production Forum 2020, the TIFF AGORA Works in Progress 2025 and the 2026 Berlinale EFM Spotlight on: Greece (in collaboration with TIFF AGORA).
Filming took place in June-July 2025 in Cyprus.
Tonia Mishiali is a member of both the European Film Academy and the Hellenic Film Academy, and an alumna of Berlinale Talents. Her critically acclaimed debut feature Pause (2018, produced by herself under Cypriot A.B. Seahorse Film Productions in coproduction with Greek Soul Productions and Authorwave) won 13 international awards. She is also the founder of Bark Like A Cat Films, a young Cyprus-based independent production company dedicated to bold, socially conscious cinema from emerging and established voices.
