Elpida, a middle-aged housewife, is trapped in the misery of an oppressive marriage, with a man who has no consideration for her feelings and needs. Her monotonous life is disrupted when a young painter is employed to paint the building she lives in. Her imagination then starts to flourish as she is confronted with her unquenchable desires, her body and the husband she has no love for. When things get out of hand she finds refuge in a fantasy world of vindictive violence. Soon, her perception of reality is questioned when she has no recollection of events that actually happened. Can a pause mark a new beginning?

Direction: Tonia Mishiali

Script: Tonia Mishiali, Anna Fotiadou

Production: Andros Achilleos

Co-Production: Stelana Kliris, Tonia Mishiali

Cinematography: Yorgos Rahmatoulin

Editing: Emilios Avraam

Production Design: Lydia Mandridou

Costume Design: Christy Polydorou

Make-Up: Kyriaki Melidou

Sound: Christos Kyriacoullis

Original Score: Julian Scherle

Cast: Stela Fyrogeni

Original Title: PAFSI

Original Language: Greek

Film Production Countries: Cyprus, Greece

Website: https://www.pause-featurefilm.com

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/pausefeaturefilm

Statement of the Director/s
PAUSE is my debut feature film and kind of a personal one. I was inspired by images that were imprinted in my mind and events that I experienced growing up in Cyprus in a patriarchal society, watching the women in my family and all other women around me living on the sidelines, with the main purpose of their lives serving their spouse and children. My feelings towards this social and family context and the stories that surround it are very strong because, unfortunately, even today thousands of women in many countries around the world still live in similar situations, unable to find their own voice and fight for their rights. I have always been sensitive to women's issues and equality, while I have been particularly interested in exploring the decadent relationships in marriage. I wanted to make a film that is viewed through the prism of the complex and fascinating female nature against the loss of one’s voice, the longing for love and all unquenchable desires. In approaching the film’s style, I wanted to make the viewer sink into the protagonist’s ‘reality’, so I decided that the focus will never shift from the main character. At a time when women in film are mis-represented, I also wanted this film to depict a female character that is very much real! In terms of production, we worked with a talented local crew, featuring a significant female participation in many of the key positions.

Biography of the Director/s
Tonia is a Cypriot filmmaker. She is a member of the European Film Academy and the European Women's Audiovisual Network, Berlinale Talents alumna and co-artistic director of THE Cyprus Film Days International Festival, having also served as vice president of the Board of the Directors Guild of Cyprus.

Filmography of the Director/s
2018 - PAUSE
2014 - LULLABY OF THE BUTTERFLY, short
2013 - DEAD END, short

Awards Won
FIPRESCI Award for best film
Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2018

ERT National Television Award, Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2018

Union of Film Critics of Greece Best Film Award, Panorama of European Cinema 2018

Emerging Greeks Competition Best Film Award, Hellas FilmBox 2019

Best Fiction Feature Award, Beirut International Women’s Film Festival 2019

Nomination for Best First-time Director (Tonia Mishiali), Hellenic Film Academy Iris Awards 2019

Nomination for Best Actress (Stela Fyrogeni), Hellenic Film Academy Iris Awards 2019

Best Fiction feature - 2nd Prize, London Greek Film Festival 2019

Best Director Award (Tonia Mishiali), SEEfest South East European Film Festival Berlin 2019

Best Actress Award (Stela Fyrogeni), SEEfest South East European Film Festival Berlin 2019

Best Fiction Feature Award, Los Angeles Greek Film festival 2019

Best Movie Award, UNDO Divergent Film Awards 2019
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Production Company:
A.B. Seahorse Film Productions
Andros Achilleos
Aphrodite Complex, 3-4 Ledas Str.
Pafos, 8041, Cyprus
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +357 99 67 50 13‬
Website: https://www.seahorsefilms.com/

World Sales:
Film Republic
Xavier Henri-Rashid
Hackney Picturehouse 270 Mare St London
London, E8 1HE, United Kingdom
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +44 78 35 99 91 12‬
Website: https://www.filmrepublic.biz/