The Ice Tower – Marion Cotillard leads haunting modern fairy tale from Lucile Hadžihalilović

BFI Distribution has announced that The Ice Tower, the new film from visionary director Lucile Hadžihalilović, will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 21^st November 2025. Starring Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard and rising star Clara Pacini, the film promises a dark, sensual and emotionally resonant alternative to festive cinema this winter.

Premiering at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year – where it won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution – The Ice Tower has been praised for its atmosphere and performances, with The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw hailing it as “a mesmeric melodrama” and awarding it five stars.

Set in the 1970s, the film follows Jeanne (Pacini), a runaway who finds refuge on the set of a film adaptation of The Snow Queen, where she becomes entranced by its star, Cristina (Cotillard). As the bond between the two deepens, a dangerous fascination begins to unfold – one that blurs the line between fantasy and reality.

Cotillard reunites with Hadžihalilović two decades after their collaboration on Innocence. This marks Pacini’s debut in a feature role, supported by August Diehl (Inglourious Basterds, A Hidden Life) and a cameo from Gaspar Noé. The film boasts cinematography by Jonathan Ricquebourg (The Taste of Things), production design by Julia Irribarria, and costume design by Laurence Benoit, with evocative sound work from Ken Yasumoto.

Hadžihalilović, best known for her unique cinematic vision in Evolution and Earwig, co-wrote the script with Geoff Cox. The Ice Tower is produced by Muriel Merlin and is a co-production between 38 Productions, Sutor Kolonko, Davis Films, Arte France Cinéma and Bayerischer Rundfunk.

Following its theatrical run, the film will be available on BFI Player from January 2026.

The editorial unit

The Ice Tower is released nationwide on 21^st November 2025.

Watch a clip from The Ice Tower here: