Cypriot filmmaker Tonia Mishiali’s second feature film, “The Lion at My Back,” is featured in the Crystal Globe competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival and centers on intersecting stories of immigration, trauma, and female resilience.

The film follows Mariama, a Senegalese immigrant navigating racism and limited opportunities in Cyprus, and Stella, a woman working at an immigration center who is attempting to rebuild her life while also fighting to regain custody of her daughter.As their lives gradually intersect, the narrative builds a layered exploration of their personal struggles and evolving bond.

Mishiali structures the film using parallel storylines that eventually converge, allowing the relationship between the two women to develop organically.Mariama is portrayed as unexpectedly optimistic despite systemic hardship, while Stella is more cynical yet still holds onto hope.The filmmaker uses their contrasting emotional states to highlight resilience in the face of patriarchal and institutional pressures.

The film also delves into themes of motherhood, particularly Stella’s strained relationship with her daughter and her gradual emotional connection with Mariama, which begins to resemble a maternal bond.

Mishiali draws from her own experience as a refugee following the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, incorporating personal and collective trauma into the story.She also reflects on her encounters with African asylum seekers in Cyprus, whom she describes as remarkably positive and resilient despite adversity.

Influenced by feminist cinema, especially the work of Chantal Akerman and “Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles,” Mishiali emphasizes a female perspective and critiques patriarchal structures without reducing characters to stereotypes.The film is produced through a Cyprus-based and European co-production network and handled internationally by Yellow Affair.