BEST OF FESTS

MEMOIR OF A SNAIL

2024 2024 / 94 min / color

Oscar-winning Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot returns with a new film that has been a big hit on the festival circuit, triumphing in Annecy, London and Sitges. Loosely based on the director’s personal story, this stop-motion animation is set in 1970s Canberra, Australia. The main character is Grace Pudel, whose life is filled with loneliness, melancholy and defeatism. Her anxieties deepen when her family falls apart, separating her from her twin brother Gilbert. The only time she feels safe is when she’s reading books or indulging in her peculiar hobby of collecting snails. But when Grace meets and develops a friendship with an eccentric older woman named Pinky, it brings a glimmer of hope to her life. Unlike Grace, Pinky is full of life, energy and enthusiasm. Their connection gives Grace some courage and, little by little, coaxes her out of her shell. Elliot’s film is a poignant, honest and darkly humorous story about an outsider who slowly discovers sparks of joy in her life. The characters are voiced by stars including Sarah Snook, Eric Bana and Nick Cave.

• Academy Awards – Best Animated Feature Film (nomination);
• Annecy IFF – Best Feature;
• Sitges IFF – Best Animated Feature Film;
• London IFF – Best Feature