In The Lion at My Back, director Tonia Mishiali tells a cinematic story of an unexpected bond. Mariama, a Senegalese asylum seeker in Cyprus, has just turned 18. She meets Stella, who is in her 40s and recently decided to break free from the clutches of addiction to make a fresh start.

The new film from Mishiali, whose 2018 debut feature Pause, about a housewife in an unhealthy marriage who starts daydreaming about revenge, turned heads, brings the Cypriot producer, writer and director back to Karlovy Vary. In fact, The Lion at My Back will world premiere on July 6 in the Crystal Globe competition of the 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF).

Sokhna Diallo, Elena Kallinikou, Prokopis Agathocleous and Herodotos Miltiadous lead the cast.

The KVIFF website promises “a vivid, heartwarming, and hopeful story about how family bonds and motherly love can be found in the most unlikely places.”

Mishiali wrote the screenplay for The Lion at My Back with Dianne Jones and Simona Nobile. The director of photography is Manu Tilinski, the editor is Emilios Avraam. The producers are Mishiali, Katarzyna Ozga, Nicolas Steil, Marinos Charalambous, Vladimir Subotic and Antoine Simkine. The production company behind the film is Bark Like A Cat Films, with co-production by Iris Productions and Avaton Films. The Yellow Affair is handling sales on The Lion at My Back.

Ahead of its world premiere at the big Czech film festival, THR can now premiere an exclusive sneak peek at the movie. In the clip below, we meet the two leading ladies sharing a tender moment of conversation. They discuss men, pain and more – and they do so in an unusual landscape that seems made to stimulate your senses.

So, sit back, relax and get ready to dive into an exclusive first cinematic and emotion-filled taste of The Lion at My Back.

Subscribe Sign Up