Kälter als Eis, ihr Kuss durchdringt das Herz…
Die 1970er Jahre. Die Ausreißerin Jeanne findet in einem Filmstudio Zuflucht und gerät in den Bann von Cristina, der rätselhaften Hauptdarstellerin des Films "Die Schneekönigin", der dort gerade gedreht wird. Christina gilt als genial, perfektionistisch und kompliziert, doch überraschend entwickelt sie eine fürsorgliche Zuneigung für Jeanne. Es entsteht eine gegenseitige Faszination zwischen der Schauspielerin und der jungen Frau.

"Inspiriert von Hans Christian Andersens Märchen "Die Schneekönigin" erzählt die preisgekrönte französische Regisseurin Lucile Hadžihalilović eine hypnotische Coming-of-Age-Geschichte zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit. Nach "Innocence" (2004) besetzt Hadžihalilović erneut Frankreichs Superstar Marion Cotillard in einer vielschichtigen Doppelrolle. Die junge Clara Pacini brilliert in ihrer ersten großen Rolle, flankiert von August Diehl als Cristinas rätselhaftem Begleiter. HERZ AUS EIS ist ein poetisches Kinoerlebnis voller betörender Bilder und dunkler Anziehungskraft." Grandfilm Verleih

"Fairy tales and reality mix on a movie set in THE ICE TOWER, Lucile Hadžihalilović' latest.
16-year-old Jeanne runs away from a children’s home, dying to experience the big city. Trying to stay warm, she breaks into what looks like an abandoned building only to end up in the middle of a film studio.
Director Lucile Hadžihalilović is an Imagine veteran whose films, from Evolution to Earwig, have tested the boundaries of what Fantastic cinema can be in terms of form, character design and atmosphere. THE ICE TOWER is no different: a bold and otherworldly experience, both a puzzle and a fairy tale, for curious and daring audiences. Marion Cotillard is exquisite as the magnetic Cristina, whose fascination with Jeanne leads them both down a dangerous and unexpected path." Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2025

Lucile Hadžihalilović’s THE ICE TOWER is an enchanting, icy reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen set in 1970s France. The film unfolds as a mesmerizing, cinematic fairy tale, blending the surrealism of dreams with the raw emotions of a coming-of-age drama. Sixteen-year-old Jeanne (Clara Pacini in her lead debut) escapes a mountain orphanage and discovers refuge in a lonely film studio where Cristina (Marion Cotillard), the enigmatic star cast as the Snow Queen, is shooting a lavish adaptation of the tale.

"Using a borrowed identity, Jeanne entrusts herself to the romance of cinema and the magnetic hold of the actress, drawing her into a hypnotic, emotional labyrinth where fantasy and reality merge. Cotillard's icy poise and Pacini's quiet vulnerability create a charged atmosphere enriched by dreamy winter-lit cinematography and an immersive soundscape. The story thrives on thematic echoes of identity, obsession, and mirror image reflections, using the camera lens itself as a symbolic 'cursed mirror' that distorts truths as much as it reveals them.
Haunting in its slow burn, THE ICE TOWER is a beautifully composed, fiendishly cryptic film. Lucile Hadžihalilović invites us to wander through its frozen hallways of memory and longing, where each frame feels like a whispered secret and every silence trembles with emotion. A darkly poetic experience, this film cements the director’s status as a master of elemental, dreamlike storytelling in contemporary French cinema, deserving of the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the Berlinale Film Festival." Sara Lopo, Fantastic Fest 2025