Quick Links
“There can be miracles when you believe.” Award-winning director J. A. Bayona makes a long-awaited return to the Spanish-language filmmaking scene with his upcoming survival drama film Society of the Snow. Based on the nonfiction novel written by Pablo Vierci, the film is a retelling of the deadly Andes flight disaster in 1972, in which a group of surviving Uruguayan rugby players had to bear 72 days of gruesome pain, extreme hunger, and deadly mountainous weather. Going against all odds, 16 out of 45 passengers managed to be rescued, and the accident itself has oftentimes been acknowledged as a complete miracle.
With their sights set on the 2024 Oscars, here’s everything we know so far about Society of the Snow.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on November 27, 2023.
Society of the Snow
RAdventureDramaBiographyHistoryThriller- Release Date
- December 23, 2023
- Director
- J.A. Bayona
- Runtime
- 144 minutes
- Main Genre
- Survival
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
- Cast
- Enzo Vogrincic , Esteban Bigliardi , Simon Hempe , Matías Recalt
- Writers
- J.A. Bayona , Nicolás Casariego , Jaime Marques
When Is 'Society of the Snow' Coming Out?
Society of the Snowpremieres in select theaters on December 15 and will be available for streaming on Netflix on January 4, 2024. The film is set to represent Spain at the 2024 Oscars.
Is There a Trailer for 'Society of the Snow'?
The first official teaser trailer for Society of the Snow was released by Netflix on August 24, running at just over a minute, the first look at the film doesn't reveal much outside of teasing the harrowing story.
Netflix released the second teaser trailer for Society of the Snow on October 20. Despite its short duration, the clip contrasts the happiness of Uruguay’s Old Christians Club rugby team as they board Flight 571 with the looming terror and fear of the impending crash. Seconds before the aircraft meets its doom in the Andes mountains, everything becomes quiet. All signs of chaos are muted into still silence, leaving a shroud of mystery surrounding the traumatic aftermath that will follow the accident.
The full trailer for Society of the Snow was released online by Netflix on November 27, 2023.
Who Stars in 'Society of the Snow'?
Society of the Snow boasts an extensive ensemble of Uruguayan and Argentine actors portraying real-life rugby players. The cast includes Enzo Vogrincic Roldán (Yosi, the Regretful Spy) as Numa Turcatti, Matías Recalt (Apache: The Life of Carlos Tevez) as Roberto Canessa, Agustín Pardella as Nando Parrado, Tomas Wolf as Gustavo Zerbino, Diego Vegezzi (Toublanc) as Marcelo Pérez, Esteban Kukuriczka (Habitación Disponible) as Adolfo “Fito” Strauch, Francisco Romero as Daniel Fernández Strauch, Rafael Federman (The Sleepwalkers) as Eduardo Strauch, Felipe González Otaño (Young Hunter) as Carlitos Páez, Agustín Della Corte as Antonio “Tintín” Vizintín, Valentino Alonso (Once) as Alfredo “Pancho” Delgado, Simón Hempe (Intertwined) as José Luis “Coche” Inciarte, Fernando Contigiani García (Argentina, 1985) as Arturo Nogueira, Benjamín Segura as Rafael “el Vasco” Echavarren, and Rocco Posca (Bigli)as Ramón “Moncho” Sabella.
What Is 'Society of the Snow' About?
Society of the Snow is adapted from Vierci’s novel of the same name, which recounts the true story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. On October 13, 1971, the Montevideo rugby team was supposed to fly from Uruguay to Santiago, Chile for a match. But as they were nearing their destination, the plane crashed into the mountains of the snowy Andes. Many were injured, and 12 people died on impact. 29 survivors managed to withstand another day, but ultimately, only 16 people were rescued after 72 days of search and rescue.
Much of the Netflix adaptation will be told primarily from the perspective of Numa Turcatti, one of the members of Uruguay’s Old Christians Club rugby team who boarded the unfortunate plane. While Society of the Snow puts a spotlight on the grim nature of the situation, the movie also strives to send a message on just how powerful human resilience can be in the face of death.
The official synopsis for Society of the Snow from Netflix reads:
In 1972, the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, catastrophically crashes on a glacier in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of the 45 passengers survived the crash and finding themselves in one of the world’s toughest environments, they are forced to resort to extreme measures to stay alive.
Check out the official novel synopsis for Society of the Snow:
“It was 13 October 1972. Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, carrying a team of young rugby players, their families and friends, took off for the very last time. A deadly miscalculation saw F571 crash directly into the Andean mountains to devastating consequences: the body of the plane broke violently into two, its floor torn to smithereens; seats flew out of the air taking passengers with them. In the weeks that followed, the remaining people who were on board - the snow society - emerged to fight a dire, grueling battle for survival.
Waiting for a rescue team that didn't arrive, the survivors became fewer and fewer in numbers. Stranded alone on a glacier, they had to face brutal temperatures, lethal avalanches and the loss of friends and family with no access to supplies, food or water. In order to survive, they had to do the unthinkable. . . It wasn't until seventy-two days later that they were able to reach safety.
Alarmingly gritty, moving and powerfully told, journalist Pablo Vierci recounts the unsettling stories of the sixteen survivors in intimate detail. Drawing on exclusive interviews, The Snow Society delves into the tragedy of the crash and how it radically redefined the rest of the survivors' lives. Ultimately, however, the book is a touching testament to the strength of faith, friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit.”
Who Is Making 'Society of the Snow'?
Vierci is the author of the original Society of the Snow novel, which serves as the base material for the film. A native of Montevideo, Uruguay, the award-winning author and scriptwriter also holds Italian citizenship. In 2008, he published Society of the Snow, more commonly known by its Spanish title La Sociedad de la Nieve. Vierci happens to be a college classmate of the plane crash survivors. He’s also gone off to write other works, including co-writing I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives with survivor Roberto Canessa.
News of the film’s early development popped up in 2021 when it was announced that Barcelona-born film director J. A. Bayona would take the helm of the novel’s film adaptation. Known for projects such as Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Fire and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Bayona previously shared with Netflix how he encountered Vierci’s novel in the first place.
“I discovered the book while we were preparing The Impossible, and I immediately thought that I wanted to make it into a film,” Bayona told Netflix. “We put the project together over a period of more than 10 years, developing an approach to the story while working closely with Pablo Vierci.”
Society of the Snow officially marks Bayona’s return to the realm of Spanish-language filmmaking, further explaining how the choice of language is crucial in retelling one of the most important events of the 20th century.
“To tell one of the most remembered events of the 20th century, with all the complexity that implies a story that gives so much relevance to the survivors as well as to those who never returned from the mountains. I also face it in Spanish, a language that I excitedly return to after 14 years without filming in my own language, and with a team of young Uruguayan and Argentine actors, whom I’m totally thrilled with.”
The film’s screenplay is written by Bayona together with Bernat Vilaplana, Nicolás Casariego, and Jaime Marques. Filming took place in various locations, including Andalucía, Spain, Montevideo, Uruguay, and in specific locations throughout the Andes. Joining as producers are Belén Atienza and Sandra Hermida, together with Apaches Entertainment and Telecinco Cinema.
