THE GIRL IN THE SNOW

( L’Engloutie)

West Coast Premiere | France | 2025 | Drama | 98 min | In French with English subtitles

Directed by: Louise Hémon
Written by: Louise Hémon, Anaïs Tellenne
Produced by: Margaux Juvénal (Take Shelter), Arte France Cinéma
Cinematography: Marine Atlan
Original Score: Emile Sornin
Film Editing: Carole Borne
Cast: Galatéa Bellugi (Aimée), Matthieu Lucci (Enoch), Samuel Kircher (Pépin), Oscar Pons (Daniel), Sharif Andoura (a father), Amid Bouselahane (a father), André Borel (Old Jupiter), Marisa Ronchail (an old lady), Annie Souche (an old lady)
International Sales: Kinology

Synopsis

Aimée Lazare, an educated, independent young woman, arrives in a remote snow-covered Alpine hamlet one stormy night in 1899. Her mission is to spend the winter there, teaching the village children. Yet her modern ideas and burgeoning sexuality quickly clash with local traditions and ways. Soon the avalanches begin… Documentary filmmaker Louise Hémon makes an auspicious narrative feature début with a lushly photographed, haunting tale inspired by the local fables she was raised on, growing up in the Haute-Alps, and snagging the prestigious Prix Jean Vigo along the way.

Director’s biography

A graduate of the La Fémis Documentary Film Workshop, Louise Hémon directed six award-winning short films between 2010 and 2020, and co-directed three theatrical productions with Émilie Rousset. Her documentary credits include L’homme le plus fort (2014), Une vie de château (2019), Salomé sur sa slackline (2020), Voyage de documentation de Madame Anita Conti (2024), and an episode of the TV series Hobbies (2020). The Girl in the Snow, her first narrative feature, premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It’s been awarded the Critic’s Prize at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, and the Jury Prize at the Biarritz Film Festival, in addition to the 2025 Prix Jean Vigo for best first film.