A runaway teenage orphan Jeanne finds refuge inside a film studio where The Snow Queen is being shot. There, she becomes drawn into the orbit of Cristina, the production’s enigmatic and emotionally fragile star. As the two form a bond, a mutual and sinister fascination takes hold. A darkly beautiful reworking of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale, The Ice Tower is a richly textured meditation on longing, isolation, and desire.

FESTIVALS & AWARDS

Berlinale 2025
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution

San Sebastián International Film Festival 2025
Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award

Melbourne International Film Festival 2025
Australian Premiere

Alliance Française French Film Festival 2026
Official Selection

DETAILS

Aspect Ratio
2.35:1

Picture
Colour

Sound
5.1

Screening Format
DCP

Original Language Title
La Tour de Glace

REVIEWS

“A mesmeric melodrama, mixing sensuality with a teetering anxiety.” (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian)

“This is not so much a film you watch as one you wake up from, shivering.” (Isaac Feldberg, Roger Ebert)

“Casts a creepy spell that lingers and deepens in the mind long after it’s over. As only the best spells do.” (Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire)

“Hadžihalilović is a director who refuses to compromise her very distinctive vision and that is the case here, even if The Ice Tower is her biggest film to date; utterly beautiful in every frame with a breakout lead performance by young French actress Clara Pacini.” (Lee Marshall, Screen Daily)

FURTHER READING

She Has Her Realm: Lucile Hadžihalilović on The Ice Tower (Laura Staab, Notebook Interview)

Films that inspired Lucile Hadžihalilović’s The Ice Tower (Lucile Hadžihalilović, Letterboxd)