{{Short description|2025 German-Austrian film}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = White Snail | image = White Snail film poster.jpg | caption = Promotional poster | native_name = {{Infobox name module|Green Parrot}} | director = {{Plainlist| * {{ill|Elsa Kremser|de}} * {{ill|Levin Peter|de}} }} | screenplay = {{Plainlist| * Elsa Kremser * Levin Peter }} | producer = {{Plainlist| * Lixi Frank * David Bohun * Elsa Kremser * Levin Peter }} | starring = {{Plainlist| * Marya Imbro * Mikhail Senkov }} | music = {{Plainlist| * John Gürtler * Jan Miserre}} | cinematography = Mikhail Khursevich | editing = {{ill|Stephan Bechinger|de}} | studio = {{Plainlist| * Panama Film * RAUMZEITFILM (AT) * Majade Fiktion (DE) }} | runtime = 115 minutes | distributor = {{Plainlist| * Filmladen Verleih (Austria) * Real Fiction Filmverleih (Germany) }} | released = {{film date|2025|8|8|df=y|Locarno}} | country = {{Plainlist| * Germany * Austria }} | language = {{Plainlist| * Russian * Belarusian * English * Mandarin }} | gross = }}
'''''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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2025 |url=https://www.locarnofestival.ch/festival/program/film.html?fid=57d798f2-208c-4644-a8f6-ffaa98054058&l=en&eid= |title= White Snail|access-date=19 July 2025 |website=Locarno Film Festival |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.austrianfilms.com/films/White_Snail |title=White Snail |access-date=19 July 2025|website= Austrian Films |language=en}}</ref>
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 78th Locarno Film Festival on 8 August 2025,<ref name="lineup:sd">{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/locarno-unveils-2025-line-up-including-premiere-of-radu-judes-dracula/5206788.article |author=Mona Tabbara |date=8 July 2025 |title=Locarno unveils 2025 line-up including premieres of Radu Jude's 'Dracula', Kamal Aljafari's 'With Hasan In Gaza'|access-date=19 July 2025 |website=ScreenDaily |language=en}}</ref> where it won the Special Jury Prize and the Pardo for Best Performance for Imbro and Senkov.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Balaga |first=Marta |date=2025-08-16 |title=Sho Miyake's 'Two Seasons, Two Strangers' Wins at Locarno |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/global/locarno-awards-two-seasons-two-strangers-white-snail-1236491018/ |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Cast==
* Marya Imbro as Masha * Mikhail Senkov as Misha * Olga Reptuh as Olga * Andrei Sauchanka as Andrei
==Production==
thumb|Levin Peter, director of the film
thumb|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.<ref name="im:variety"/><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.berlinale.de/media/download/presse/pressemitteilungen/67_berlinale/64_pm_kompagnon_preis_17_2_2017.pdf |title=Die beiden Kompagnon-Förderpreise Berlinale Talents und Perspektive Deutsches Kino gehen an Nora Fingscheidt sowie an Levin Peter und Elsa Kremser|trans-title="The two Kompagnon awards, Berlinale Talents and Perspektive Deutsches Kino, go to Nora Fingscheidt as well as to Levin Peter and Elsa Kremser."|date=17 February 2017|access-date=19 July 2025|publisher=Berlinale|language=de}}</ref>
In 2021, it was selected at the TorinoFilmLab in the FeatureLab alongwith 9 other films.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/415628/ |title=30 projects took to the stage at the 14th TFL Meeting Event|first= Vittoria|last= Scarpa |date=2 December 2021|access-date=19 July 2025|website= Cineuropa |language=en}}</ref>
In 2022, Eurimages supported the film (working title ''Green Parrot'') with €300,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/435687/ |title=Eurimages supports 24 co-productions|first= David|last= González |date=5 December 2022|access-date=19 July 2025|website= Cineuropa |language=en}}</ref>
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.<ref name="ten:crew">{{Cite web|url=https://www.crew-united.com/en/White-Snail__283008.html |title=White Snail: Feature Film, 2023-2025, Drama – Austria, Germany|website= Crew United |date= 5 June 2025|access-date=19 July 2025|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://filminstitut.at/en/movies/der-gruene-wellensittich |title= White Snail|access-date=19 July 2025|website= Austrian Film Institute |language=en}}</ref>
==Release==
''White Snail'' had its World Premiere at the 78th Locarno Film Festival on 8 August 2025, and competed for Golden Leopard.<ref name="lu:hr">{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dracula-david-lynch-locarno-film-festival-2025-program-1236308279/|title='Dracula' by Radu Jude, David Lynch-Exec Produced 'Happy Worker' Set for Locarno Lineup |last=Szalai|first=Georg|date=8 July 2025 |access-date=19 July 2025 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> 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.<ref name="sff:variety">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/global/heart-of-sarajevo-awards-31st-sarajevo-film-festival-1236467238/ |title=Fifty Films Compete for the Heart of Sarajevo Awards at 31st Sarajevo Film Festival |author= Leo Barraclough |work=Variety|date=23 July 2025 |access-date=23 July 2025|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sff.ba/en/news/12639/regional-premiere-of-the-film-white-snail |title= Regional premiere of the film White Snail|access-date=18 August 2025|website= Sarajevo Film Festival |language=en}}</ref>
It was presented in Features at the Vienna International Film Festival on 19 October 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.viennale.at/de/film/white-snail |title= The Viennale: White Snail |date=19 October 2025|access-date=29 October 2025 |website= Vienna International Film Festival |language=en}}</ref>
It was presented in the 'Spotlight: Austria' at the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on 7 November 2025,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poff.ee/en/film/white-snail/ |title=White Snail|date=4 November 2025 |access-date=4 November 2025|website= Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival |language=en}}</ref> and also in 'From The Festivals - 2025' section of the 56th International Film Festival of India in November 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iffigoa.org/international-cinema/2025/from-the-festivals |title=From The Festivals - 2025 |date=7 November 2025|access-date=8 November 2025|website= International Film Festival of India |language=en}}</ref> It competed in Golden Olive tree Competition at the Lecce European Film Festival on 21 November 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/485961 |title= The cracks in love, family and identity start to show at the Lecce European Film Festival |first=Vittoria|last= Scarpa|date=14 November 2025|access-date=15 November 2025|website= Cineuropa |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.festivaldelcinemaeuropeo.com/en/events/white-snail-2/ |title= White Snail |date=14 November 2025|access-date=15 November 2025|website= Lecce European Film Festival |language=en}}</ref>
Rome-based Intramovies acquired the world sales rights to the film in July.<ref name="im:variety">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/global/white-snail-locarno-intramovies-1236451711/ |title= Intramovies Nabs World Sales to Locarno Player 'White Snail,' an Unconventional Love Story Set in Belarus (EXCLUSIVE) |author= Emiliano De Pablos |work=Variety|date=10 July 2025 |access-date=19 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! Award ! Date of ceremony ! Category ! Recipient ! Result ! {{abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |- ! scope="row" |Berlin International Film Festival | 18 February 2017 | Kompagnon-Fellowship – Perspektive Deutsches Kino | Levin Peter and Elsa Kremser for ''White Snail'' | {{won}} | align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.berlinale.de/media/download/preise-jurys/67_berlinale_awards.pdf |title=All Awards and Juries of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival |date=18 February 2017|access-date=19 July 2025|publisher=Berlinale |language=en}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" rowspan=4|Locarno Film Festival | rowspan=4|16 August 2025 | Golden Leopard | rowspan=2|''White Snail'' | {{Nom}} | align="center" |<ref name="lu:variety">{{Cite news |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/global/locarno-linep-radu-jude-abdellatif-kechiche-ben-rivers-1236449004/ |title=Radu Jude, Abdellatif Kechiche Head to Locarno as Swiss Fest Announces Lineup, An 'Ambitious and Exciting Edition'|author=Marta Balaga |date=8 July 2025 |access-date=19 July 2025 |work=Variety |language=en}}</ref> |- | Special Jury Prize | {{Won}} | align="center" rowspan=3|<ref name="award:hr">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/locarno-2025-award-winners-two-seasons-two-strangers-1236345364/ |title= Locarno Film Festival Top Award Goes to 'Two Seasons, Two Strangers' by Sho Miyake|author= Georg Szalai |website= The Hollywood Reporter |date= 16 August 2025 |access-date= 16 August 2025|language=en}}</ref> |- | rowspan=2|Pardo for Best Performance | Marya Imbro | {{Won}} |- | Mikhail Senkov | {{Won}} |- ! scope="row" rowspan=2|Sarajevo Film Festival | rowspan=2|22 August 2025 | Heart of Sarajevo | rowspan=4|''White Snail'' | {{Nom}} | align="center" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2025/07/sarajevo-film-festival-competition-2025-15-world-premieres-1236465828/ |title=Sarajevo Film Festival Sets Competition Titles Including 15 World Premieres|first= Zac|last=Ntim |date=23 July 2025|access-date=23 July 2025 |website= Deadline |language=en}}</ref> |- | CICAE (International Confederation of Art Cinemas) Award | {{Won}} | align="center" |<ref name="hsba:hr">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sarajevo-film-festival-2025-awards-winners-list-1236351162/ |title=Sarajevo Film Festival 2025 Awards: 'Wind, Talk to Me,' 'Our Time Will Come' Win Top Prizes |author= Georg Szalai |website= The Hollywood Reporter |date= 22 August 2025 |access-date= 23 August 2025|language=en}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Vienna International Film Festival | 28 October 2025 | Erste Bank MehrWERT Award | {{Won}} | align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/485321 |title= The Viennale comes to a close with a big award for Perla and greater attendee numbers |first= Susanne|last=Gottlieb |date=29 October 2025|access-date=29 October 2025 |website= Cineuropa |language=en}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" |Lecce European Film Festival | 23 November 2025 | Golden Olive – Cristina Soldano Award for Best Film | {{Won}} | align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/486321 |title= White Snail named Best Film in the 26th Lecce European Film Festival|first= Vittoria |last=Scarpa |date=24 November 2025|access-date=25 November 2025 |website= Cineuropa |language=en}}</ref> |- |}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website}} * {{IMDb title}} * [https://www.locarnofestival.ch/festival/program/film.html?fid=57d798f2-208c-4644-a8f6-ffaa98054058&l=en&eid= ''White Snail''] at Locarno Film Festival * [https://www.raumzeitfilm.com/film/whitesnail ''White Snail''] at Raumzeitfilm
Category:2025 romance films Category:2025 films Category:German romance films Category:Austrian romance films Category:2025 Russian-language films Category:2025 English-language films Category:Belarusian-language films Category:2025 Mandarin-language films Category:Films shot in Belarus Category:Films shot in Latvia Category:2025 German films Category:2025 Austrian films