White Snail

Last updated

White Snail
White Snail film poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Original titleGreen Parrot
Directed by
Screenplay by
  • Elsa Kremser
  • Levin Peter
Produced by
  • Lixi Frank
  • David Bohun
  • Elsa Kremser
  • Levin Peter
Starring
  • Marya Imbro
  • Mikhail Senkov
CinematographyMikhail Khursevich
Edited by Stephan Bechinger  [ de ]
Music by
  • John Gürtler
  • Jan Miserre
Production
companies
  • Panama Film
  • RAUMZEITFILM (AT)
  • Majade Fiktion (DE)
Distributed by
  • Filmladen Verleih (Austria)
  • Real Fiction Filmverleih (Germany)
Release date
  • 8 August 2025 (2025-08-08)(Locarno)
Running time
115 minutes
Countries
  • Germany
  • Austria
Languages
  • Russian
  • Belarusian
  • English
  • Mandarin

White Snail is a 2025 German-Austrian romance film written and directed by Elsa Kremser, and Levin Peter. Starring Marya Imbro, and Mikhail Senkov, it follows Masha, a model pursuing her dream job in China, and Misha, a painter working in a morgue, in a fragile love story of two outsiders who turn each other's worlds upside down. [1] [2]

Contents

The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 78th Locarno Film Festival on 8 August 2025, [3] where it won the Special Jury Prize and the Pardo for Best Perfomance for Imbro and Senkov. [4]

Cast

Production

Levin Peter, director of the film Levin-peter-monopol-kino-munich-2025.jpg
Levin Peter, director of the film
Elsa Kremser, director of the film Elsa-kremser-monopol-kino-munich-2025.jpg
Elsa Kremser, director of the film

The film directed by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter is inspired by real-life stories of non-professional actors, was shot in Belarus. It won the Perspektive Deutsches Kino – Kompagnon-Fellowship at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival in 2017 and participated at the TorinoFilmLab. [5] [6]

In 2021, it was selected at the TorinoFilmLab in the FeatureLab alongwith 9 other films. [7]

In 2022, Eurimages supported the film (working title Green Parrot) with 300,000. [8]

Principal photography began on 12 June 2023 on the location of Minsk in Belarus, and Daugavpils in Latvia. The filming ended on 15 September 2023. [9] [10]

Release

White Snail had its World Premiere at the 78th Locarno Film Festival on 8 August 2025, and competed for Golden Leopard. [11] A week later, it competed for Heart of Sarajevo award in the Competition Programme - Feature Film at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival on 18 August 2025. [12] [13]

Rome-based Intramovies acquired the world sales rights to the film in July. [5]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientResultRef.
Berlin International Film Festival 18 February 2017 Kompagnon-Fellowship – Perspektive Deutsches KinoLevin Peter and Elsa Kremser for White SnailWon [14]
Locarno Film Festival 16 August 2025 Golden Leopard White SnailNominated [15]
Special Jury Prize Won [16]
Pardo for Best Perfomance Marya ImbroWon
Mikhail SenkovWon
Sarajevo Film Festival 22 August 2025 Heart of Sarajevo White SnailNominated [17]
CICAE (International Confederation of Art Cinemas) AwardWon [18]

References

  1. "White Snail". Locarno Film Festival . 8 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  2. "White Snail". Austrian Films. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  3. Mona Tabbara (8 July 2025). "Locarno unveils 2025 line-up including premieres of Radu Jude's 'Dracula', Kamal Aljafari's 'With Hasan In Gaza'". ScreenDaily . Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  4. Balaga, Marta (16 August 2025). "Sho Miyake's 'Two Seasons, Two Strangers' Wins at Locarno". Variety. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 Emiliano De Pablos (10 July 2025). "Intramovies Nabs World Sales to Locarno Player 'White Snail,' an Unconventional Love Story Set in Belarus (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  6. "Die beiden Kompagnon-Förderpreise Berlinale Talents und Perspektive Deutsches Kino gehen an Nora Fingscheidt sowie an Levin Peter und Elsa Kremser" ["The two Kompagnon awards, Berlinale Talents and Perspektive Deutsches Kino, go to Nora Fingscheidt as well as to Levin Peter and Elsa Kremser."](PDF) (in German). Berlinale. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  7. Scarpa, Vittoria (2 December 2021). "30 projects took to the stage at the 14th TFL Meeting Event". Cineuropa . Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  8. González, David (5 December 2022). "Eurimages supports 24 co-productions". Cineuropa . Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  9. "White Snail: Feature Film, 2023-2025, Drama – Austria, Germany". Crew United. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  10. "White Snail". Austrian Film Institute. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  11. Szalai, Georg (8 July 2025). "'Dracula' by Radu Jude, David Lynch-Exec Produced 'Happy Worker' Set for Locarno Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  12. Leo Barraclough (23 July 2025). "Fifty Films Compete for the Heart of Sarajevo Awards at 31st Sarajevo Film Festival". Variety . Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  13. "Regional premiere of the film White Snail". Sarajevo Film Festival . Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  14. "All Awards and Juries of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival" (PDF). Berlinale. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  15. Marta Balaga (8 July 2025). "Radu Jude, Abdellatif Kechiche Head to Locarno as Swiss Fest Announces Lineup, An 'Ambitious and Exciting Edition'". Variety . Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  16. Georg Szalai (16 August 2025). "Locarno Film Festival Top Award Goes to 'Two Seasons, Two Strangers' by Sho Miyake". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  17. Ntim, Zac (23 July 2025). "Sarajevo Film Festival Sets Competition Titles Including 15 World Premieres". Deadline . Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  18. Georg Szalai (22 August 2025). "Sarajevo Film Festival 2025 Awards: 'Wind, Talk to Me,' 'Our Time Will Come' Win Top Prizes". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 23 August 2025.