The feature-length Cypriot film Motherwitch (Dodekameron), directed by Emmy-award winner Minos Papas, will participate in one of the world’s most important festivals for contemporary and innovative cinema.
This is a particularly significant moment for Cypriot cinema and the production company Caretta Films, with the Ministry of Culture celebrating another international success for Cypriot cinema. Motherwitch is a dark gothic story, deeply rooted in Cypriot mythology and folklore.
The film stars Margarita Zachariou, with well-known Cypriot and international actors such as Miltos Yerolemou, Jason Hughes, Danae Katsameni, Athos Antoniou, Marina Makri, Dimitris Andrea, Jordan Walters, and Christina Marouchou. The film also marks the cinematic debut of Sifis Katsoulakis.
The director, Minos Papas, whose films have been showcased at festivals like Tribeca, SXSW, and Sundance, describes Motherwitch as a ‘cinematic love letter to Cyprus.’ The film was selected for the Frontières Buyers Showcase at the Cannes Festival 2025. The script development was supported by TorinoFilmLab, while post-production was completed at Outpost MTL in Montreal.
Motherwitch is a Coproduct of Cyprus – United States – North Macedonia, produced by Caretta Films, and was filmed entirely in Cyprus on authentic locations. It was realized with support from the Ministry of Culture / Department of Contemporary Culture, financial incentives from the Republic of Cyprus (InvestCyprus) and the Film Agency of North Macedonia. 
The screenplay is set in Cyprus in 1882, during a time when old beliefs coexisted with British colonialism. The film tells the story of Eleni, a French-educated painter who loses all three of her children in a tragic accident.
Stigmatized as cursed by her community, she withdraws from life and turns to forbidden rituals inspired by folk tradition, believing that art can bring back her children. Instead, she awakens theKalikantzaroi —creatures from Cypriot Dodekaimeron—unleashing a force born from unspeakable grief.
