Maricel

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Maricel

A Filipino domestic worker is called to take care of an elderly couple in a Cypriot mountain village. What begins as a simple caregiving task gradually exposes a web of silent resentment, emotional dependency and unspoken histories, forcing her into the delicate, unsettling space between obligation and intimacy.

Elias Demetriou is a Greece-based filmmaker whose work spans fiction, documentary, and film development. He studied Theology and Cinema in Athens and has built a multifaceted career as a director, screenwriter, editor, and mentor to emerging filmmakers. He has directed three feature films: Fish n’ Chips (2011), Smac (2015), and Maricel (2025). His debut feature Fish n’ Chips earned him the Best Debut Director award from the Greek Film Academy and recognition at the Athens International Film Festival. Smac received the Best Female Performance award from the Greek Film Academy. His latest feature, Maricel, received four awards, including Best Director at the Southeast Asian International Film Festival (Philippines). Alongside his feature work, Elias has directed seven short fiction films and more than thirty documentaries. His short films have screened and received awards at many international film festivals. Beyond directing, he has worked as a screenwriter and film editor on more than fifty short films and documentaries, contributing creatively across a broad range of independent productions. He is currently developing his fourth feature film. Deeply engaged in film education and development, Elias has taught filmmaking at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and, since 2025, at the Hellenic Open University. He also served for several years (2012-2019) as an instructor of Acting for the Camera at the New Greek Theatre. Since 2016, he has collaborated with ERT (Greek National Television) as curator of the Microfilm Program, overseeing the development and financing of fifteen short films annually. Internationally, he has worked with the Mediterranean Film Institute, initially as assistant trainer alongside Jan Fleischer (2018–2023), and since 2023 as a script consultant, mentoring projects in development from across Europe and the Mediterranean region. He is a member of the Greek Film Academy.

After this content becomes available June 2nd at 10:00 am EEST, you’ll have 7 days to start watching. Once you begin, you’ll have 72 hours to finish watching.

• 2025, Thessaloniki Film Festival
• 2026, Bergamo Film Meeting
• 2026 Manchester Film Festival – Best International Feature
• 2026, Tokyo Film & Screenplay Awards – Best Director
• 2026, South East Academy Awards – Best Feature
• 2026, Valencia Indie Film Festival
• 2026, Cyprus Film Days
• 2026, Cinephil_101 FF

YEAR:

2025

DIRECTOR(S):

Elias Demetriou

PRODUCER(S):

Monica Nicolaidou, Maria Drandaki, Elias Demetriou

WRITER(S):

Elias Demetriou

CAST:

Zar Donato, Ntinos Lyras, Lenia Sorocou, Diomedes Koufteros, Daphne Alexander

EDITOR:

Panos Voutsaras

CINEMATOGRAPHER:

Yorgos Giannelis

MUSIC:

Andreas Demetriou

RUNTIME:

120 mins

COUNTRY:

Cyprus, Greece

PREMIERE:

North American

CATEGORY: