Marion Cotillard stands in a white outfit, with blonde hair and a silver crown. Snow is falling around her with a black backdrop.

The Ice Tower Exclusive filmed Q&A with Lucile Hadžihalilović

  • Cinema
  • Playhouse
  • Run time: 117 minutes Subject to change
  • Seating map

A dark reimagining of The Snow Queen

France | 2025 | French with English subtitles | Drama / Fantasy | MA15+

Celebrated director Lucile Hadžihalilović returns with her fourth feature, a darkly beautiful reworking of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale The Snow Queen. In her second collaboration with Academy Award-winner Marion Cotillard, Hadžihalilović delivers a richly textured meditation on longing, isolation, and desire, with a film which was awarded the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at 2025 Berlin Film Festival.

A runaway teenage orphan Jeanne (the sublime Clara Pacini in her feature debut) finds refuge inside a film studio where a new adaptation of The Snow Queen is being shot. There, she becomes drawn into the orbit of Cristina , the film’s enigmatic and emotionally fragile star. As the two form a bond, a mutual and sinister fascination takes hold.

In addition to winning accolades from director Guillermo del Toro, The Ice Tower ranked number 18 on Sight & Sound’s list of “50 best films of 2025”.

This screening is followed by an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A with Director Lucile Hadžihalilović, in conversation with Australian film critic Nadine Whitney.

Presented by Sydney Opera House

Event details

A mesmeric melodrama, mixing sensuality with a teetering anxiety.

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Cast and credits

Director Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Cristina/La Reine des Neiges Marion Cotillard
Jeanne Clara Pacini
Max August Diehl
Dino, Le Réalisateur Gaspar Noé

You may also like

Parasite: Live in Concert

24 & 25 Apr 2026

  • Cinema
  • Classical Music

Before Sunset

2 Jun 2026

  • Cinema
A man in a suit jacket and white shirt sits beside a women in a black dress on a green bench. They are looking into each others eyes and the mans arm is around the women resting on the bench.

Best in Show

29 Apr 2026

  • Cinema
The best in show cast stand posing proudly with their characters dogs.

Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Playhouse

The Playhouse is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

Checking availability