The Dream Is a Snail
| The Dream Is a Snail | |
|---|---|
| Vietnamese | Giấc mơ là ốc sên |
| Directed by | Thien An Nguyen |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Chananun Chotrungroj |
| Edited by | Tao Do |
Release date |
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Running time | 15 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Vietnamese |
The Dream Is a Snail (Vietnamese: Giấc mơ là ốc sên) is a 2026 short film directed by Nguyen Thien An, and co-written with Ly Nguyen. It stars Le Anh Tuan, Nguyen Duc Manh, Phi Dieu and Tran Ky Anh.
The film had its world premiere at the short film competition of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on 22 May, where it competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or.[1]. It was the first Vietnamese film to be selected for this category.
In May 2026, East Films and Kontribute announced the development of a feature-length adaptation of the short film-[2]
Premise
The film follows Huy, a popular actor who becomes involved in an experimental artistic project. After participating as a model, he develops an unusual psychological dependence linked to snails, gradually blurring the boundaries between reality and surreal experience.
Cast
- Le Anh Tuan as The Snail artist[3]
- Nguyen Duc Manh as The Curator
- NSƯT Phi Điểu as The old lady
- Tran Ky Anh as The tomato girl
Production
The Dream Is a Snail was developed by Nguyen Thien An as part of the CJ Short Film Project 2025, a programme supporting emerging filmmakers. The film employs a narrative approach that combines realism with surreal and metaphorical elements, reflecting contemporary psychological and artistic themes.[4]
The production was supported by filmmaker Phan Dang Di, who acted as mentor, and cinematography was handled by Chananun Chotrungroj.[5]
Release
The film premiered at the 79th Cannes Film Festival on 22 May 2026, where it has been selected as one of ten short films in the Short Film Competition, competing for the Short Film Palme d'Or.[6][7]
References
- ↑ Lavallée, Eric (2026-04-21). "2026 Cannes: Daniel Soares, Federico Luis, Theo Montoya & Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell's Phạm Thiên Ân in Palme d'Or (short) Comp!". IONCINEMA.com. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (2026-05-17). "Cannes Short 'The Dream Is a Snail' to Get Feature Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
- ↑ "GIẤC MƠ LÀ ỐC SÊN (THE DREAM IS A SNAIL)". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
- ↑ "Giấc mơ là ốc sên của Nguyễn Thiên Ân tranh giải Phim ngắn tại Cannes". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). 2026-04-22. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
- ↑ "Phim ngắn 'Giấc mơ là ốc sên' tranh giải tại Cannes 2026". vnexpress.net (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2026-04-23. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
- ↑ "Cannes announces the short films duking it out for the Palme d'Or and those in the Cinef selection". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2026-04-22. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
- ↑ "The Dream Is A Snail to compete in Short Film Palme d'Or at Cannes Festival". VOV.VN. 2026-04-22. Retrieved 2026-04-24.