The Lion At My Back
The Lion At My Back | fiction/feature | Cyprus/Luxembourg/Greece | drama | (in post-production)
Created, Written and Directed by Tonia Mishiali
When Mariama, a teenage Senegalese asylum seeker, crosses paths with Stella, a 40-year-old Cypriot woman quietly trying to rebuild her life, their shared struggle for survival leads to an unexpected bond. Together, they redefine the true meaning of love and family in a heartwarming tale of an unlikely alliance.
Our Film’s previous working title was “Nala and Stella”
Principal Photography
June 10th - July 23rd 2025
(31 shooting days)
Funding News
The film has been funded for development by the European Union’s Creative Europe MEDIA Program
Bark like a cat films has been funded for development, for 3 films it is producing (including “Nala and Stella”) through Creative Europe’s program MEDIA mini slate.
Selections
Crossroads Co-Production Forum
Nala and Stella has been selected to participate in the Crossroads CoPro Forum amongst a selection of 17 projects from Southeastern Europe, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean region, which will take place online, during the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (November 5-15, 2020).
In the press
Credits
CREATOR / MAIN WRITER / DIRECTOR Tonia Mishiali
MAIN CAST Sokhna Diallo, Elena Kallinikou, Prokopis Agathokleous, Herodotos Miltiadous
MAIN PRODUCER Tonia Mishiali / Bark Like A Cat Films
CO-PRODUCERS Katarzyna Ozga & Nicolas Steil / Iris Productions (Luxembourg), Marinos Charalambous & Vladimir Subotic / Avaton Films (Greece)
CINEMATOGRAPHER Manu Tilinski
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Christy Polydorou
ART DIRECTOR Yiorgos Yiannou
CO-WRITERS Dianne Jones, Simona Nobile