Frozen Out wins Grand Prize at 8th Snowtown Film Festival

Frozen Out, written and directed by Hao Zhou, wins the Grand Prize at the 8th Annual Snowtown Film Festival held February 19-27, 2022. The five minute short film depicts an emigre retreating to frozen prairies and forests, hoping to find a meaningful story and escape the anxieties of dislocation. Delivered as a “film letter” to the protagonist’s sister in rural China, the film considers his queer self-exile and the vulnerable nature of home, relationships, and the self. Frozen Out was filmed in the United States and China.

Director Hao Zhou, born in Nanchuan, China, is a filmmaker, photographer and actor. He refined his filmmaking at Cannes Film Festival’s La Residence (Paris), Talents Tokyo, and Berlinale Talents.

Frozen Out received a Gold Medal at the 48th Student Academy Awards and has been presented at a number of film festivals. The film was selected by the Snowtown Film Festival jury from over 500 films submitted to this year’s festival.