In English with Slovenian subtitles

This new tragicomic tale by Oscar winner Adam Elliot takes us into the world of Grace Pudel, an obsessive collector of snail statuettes whose life is marked by freak accidents and too many deaths. With a new tragedy around every corner, Grace struggles with loneliness, which makes her close herself off from the world like the snails in their shells. Ultimately, a friend helps her out of the darkness – an eccentric older woman named Pinky.

Written by: Adam Elliot
Cinematographer: Gerald Thompson
Editing: Bill Murphy
Animation Supervisor: John Lewis
Music Composer: Elena Kats-Chernin
Sound Designer: David Williams
Producers: Liz Kearney, Adam Eliott
Distribution in Slovenia: Cenex/Fivia

Director's Statement

My stories are reflections of everyday life; biographies of people we can relate to; friends, eccentric relatives, and the colourful people we encounter in the street. I try to get a balance between humour and pathos, light and shade, comedy and tragedy. I invented a word to describe my films, clayographies, a portmanteau term combining clay and biographies.

As an auteur, I have to wear many hats. One of my favourite roles is the Production Designer. Melbourne had one of the longest covid lockdowns but luckily, I was able to spend my confinement prepping for the film. Over five months I hand drew the 1600 storyboard panels on pieces of paper then moved on to drawing the 200 characters, 200 sets and the thousands of props that needed to be handmade. For this film, I wanted to keep the materials and aesthetic simple, and use four basic materials: clay, wire, paper and paint. Too much stopmotion has become slick and reliant on 3D printers. I wanted to celebrate the clay, its lumps, bumps and imperfections.

I was born with a hereditary shake which I have incorporated into my aesthetic. Every asset had to look flawed, asymmetrical; as if made in a hurry or by someone who was drunk. My character's psyches are imperfect and so I wanted their appearance to match my drawings
which are loose, gestural and naive. I have a holistic approach to my work and strive for originality. Art imitates life and vice versa; for me they are inseparable and both art and filmmaking have become my yoga.

Awards and festivals (selection):
- Cristal for Best Feature Film, Annecy IAFF, 2024
- Best Animated Feature, Sitges FF, 2024
- Best Film Award, BFI London FF, 2024
- Grand Prize, Bucheon IAFF, 2024
- Toronto IFF, 2024
- San Sebastian IFF, 2024
- Ottawa IAFF, 2024
- Melbourne IFF, 2024