Mary Mina, a Greek actress known for her role as the High Priestess in the Olympic Flame lighting ceremonies since 2024, has been cast in Alexandra Matheou's debut feature film, 'Shibboleth'. This drama explores a surrogacy love triangle and delves into the emotional cost of surrogacy. The film is one of the year's projects in Focus CoPro at Cannes, a program that selects early-stage first features from filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival. The logline for 'Shibboleth' reads: 'A surrogate mother joins the couple expecting her baby on a vacation. As a love triangle quietly takes shape, she is confronted with the emotional cost of surrogacy and the realization that her job doesn’t always end at birth.'
Matheou, who also wrote the film, shares her thoughts on the story: 'The story unfolds in a place that seems to have defeated death; or so its people believe. For as long as I can remember, my existential anxiety around the subject matter of death has been a constant shadow. This is why I created a playground where I could ask: if eternal life were possible, would it actually make life better? Or would it unravel everything we think we know about living?'
'Shibboleth' is produced by Maria Drandaki's Greek production company, Homemade Films, with support from the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture. The film is currently in its financing and casting stage, with shooting planned for the summer of 2027 in Cyprus and Greece. Matheou's latest short film, 'Free Eliza', about a woman born without the ability to smile, will debut in the Cannes Director's Fortnight. The short is a co-production with Homemade Films, which also produced 'Titanic Ocean', a film directed by Konstantina Kotzamani and selected for the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.
In 'Free Eliza', Eliza, played by Grigoria Metheniti, refuses to conform to the demands of a world obsessed with toxic positivity. The film explores the challenge of posing for a photo without the ability to smile, and even mentions dolphins and Pamela Anderson. The exclusive clip from 'Free Eliza' is now available, offering a glimpse into Matheou's unique storytelling style and her exploration of complex human emotions.
