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

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

A dark reimagining of The Snow Queen

France | 2025 | French | 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".

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

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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.

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