Filmmakers Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter say years of research, including time spent shadowing work in a morgue, shaped White Snail, a Belarus-set drama that premiered in competition at Locarno on August 8 and went on to win the Special Jury Prize alongside a shared acting honor for its two leads. In interviews around the film’s launch, the duo described a careful approach to depicting depression and suicidal thoughts, emphasizing preparation and on-set safeguards as the production moved from observation to fiction.
Set in and around Minsk, the story follows Masha, a model preparing to work in China, and Misha, a painter who keeps the night shift in a morgue; their relationship unsettles ideas about beauty, the body and mortality. The movie features nonprofessional actors Marya Imbro and Mikhail Senkov and blends Russian, Belarusian, English and Mandarin, reflecting the characters’ ambitions and dislocation.
The directors have said the project grew from real encounters and images collected over a decade, then relied on the performers’ lived experience and improvisation to find its tone. They described working methods designed to keep the representation of self-harm grounded rather than sensational, while festival conversations framed the film as fiction threaded through documented textures from contemporary Belarus.
World sales are handled by Intramovies following a pre-Locarno pickup, with the film continuing on the circuit this month at Sarajevo. Distributors are in place for a theatrical rollout in Austria and Germany, including an Austrian opening dated for January 23, 2026. The Locarno jury’s recognition of both lead performances was noted as part of a broader move toward gender-neutral acting awards at major festivals.
