First trailer for Apart follows a refugee bride from Cyprus to South Africa

The first trailer for Apart, a feature written and directed by Stelana Kliris, has arrived, and the film is set to world-premiere at the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter premiered the trailer exclusively on 23 October 2026.

The story begins in Cyprus. Its lead character, Eleni, leaves the island after the 1974 invasion and travels, through an arranged marriage, to apartheid South Africa. The festival's own synopsis calls her a refugee bride who finds love there, until a secret from her past changes everything.

The film stars Leem Lubany, Luca Pasqualino and Girley Jazama. Simon Sarketzis shot it, and Emilios Avraam cut it. Kliris produces alongside Susan Simnett, Jamie Harvey and Ioanna Bolomyti. Filming took place in Cyprus, even though the story moves between Cyprus and South Africa.

Tallinn has placed Apart in its Critics' Picks section, where it will open the programme strand. The festival lists the film as a co-production from Cyprus, the United Kingdom and Greece.

Film festivals matter to a film like this for a practical reason. A premiere puts the finished picture in front of buyers, and in Tallinn that means distributors and programmers from across Europe. The sales company then tries to line up cinemas and streaming services in each territory, a process that can take months.

Apart is being sold by Reinvent Yellow Sales, the company that handles deals for the film. The sales company will decide where and when the film reaches audiences beyond the festival circuit. No release dates or buyers have been announced.

For Kliris and the cast, the Tallinn premiere is the first public chance to see the finished film with an audience. The trailer gives a first look at the story's two settings, and the festival's own listing sets out the emotional turn at the heart of the plot.