Skip to main content
The Ice Tower film image; woman in white with a tiara and frosty makeup standing in falling snow

The Ice Tower

La Tour de Glace

Panorama

This event has passed

Canadian Premiere

1970s, in the High Alps. Fifteen-year-old runaway orphan Jeanne (Clara Pacini) finds shelter in a movie studio where a film adaptation of her favourite fairy tale, Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen, is being shot. From her hiding spot behind the stage, Jeanne becomes enthralled with the film’s mysterious and exacting star, Cristina van den Berg (Marion Cotillard). When Jeanne is mistaken for an extra on set, Cristina takes a shine to her. But cold is the heart of the Snow Queen, and she demands sacrifices from those who love her.

This spellbinding fantasy drama from director Lucile Hadžihalilović combines an experimental arthouse aesthetic with stunning wintry landscapes to paint a dark, oneiric world that flows freely between Jeanne’s tactile reality and the Snow Queen’s cinematic fantasy realm. Up-and-comer Clara Pacini shines in her delicate portrayal of teenage vulnerability, while Academy Award–winning actress Marion Cotillard brings masterful nuance to her depiction of the ice-cold screen queen. Winner of the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at Berlinale.

 

Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution, Berlinale 2025

 

Community Partner

Director

Lucile Hadžihalilović

Cast

Marion Cotillard, Clara Pacini, August Diehl, Gaspar Noé, Marine Gesbert

Credits
Country of Origin

France/Germany

Year

2025

Language

In French with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
118 min
Award Winners Drama Women Directors
3B Productions,ARTE France, Sutor Kolonko

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Producer

Muriel Merlin

Screenwriter

Lucile Hadžihalilović, Geoff Cox

Cinematography

Jonathan Ricquebourg

Editor

Nassim Gordji Tehrani

Production Design

Julia Irribarria

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Animated)

Dir. Various
83 min

The nominees for Best Animated Short Film include The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a fable from Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, narrated by Colm Feore.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Round Midnight: Ardeshir Plays Dexter Gordon

Dir. Bertrand Tavernier
131 min

Loosely based on Bud Powell's time in Paris, Round Midnight (131 mins) is maybe the greatest of all films about jazz thanks to the towering performance of real-life jazz great Dexter Gordon. Saxophonist Ardeshir channels Gordon's vibe in his live set.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Montreal, ma belle

Dir. Xiaodan He
118 min

In this Valentine to discovering love later in life, the ever-elegant Joan Chen plays Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother in Montreal whose world is turned upside down when she meets and falls in love with a young Quebecoise.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Live Action)

Dir. Various
119 min

This year's contenders in the Live Action category include comedies, drama, an experimental musical, and a dystopian fantasy; films from the UK and the US, France and Israel.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Sirât

Dir. Óliver Laxe
115 min

A desperate father (Sergi Lopez) searchers for his missing daughter through the spiritual wasteland of the Moroccan desert. An unforgettable sensory powerhouse, Sîrat will have you riveted and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Dir. David Borenstein & Pavel Talankin
90 min

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema