The Breaking Ice
In cold wintry Yanji, a city on China's northern border, young urbanite Haofeng, visiting from Shanghai, feels lost and adrift. By chance, he goes on a tour led by Nana, a charming tour guide who instantly fascinates him. She introduces him to Xiao, a personable but frustrated restaurant worker. The three bond quickly over a drunken weekend. Confronting their individual traumas, their frozen desires slowly thaw as they seek to liberate themselves from an icy world.
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Cast
7 people
Zhou Dongyu
Nana
Known for
Better Days
Under the Hawthorn Tree
Liu Haoran
Hao Feng
Known for
Nirvana in Fire
Dead to Rights
Qu Chuxiao
Han Xiao
Known for
The Wandering Earth
The Yin Yang Master
Ruguang Wei
Fugitive
Also in
Out of This World
From Tomorrow on, I Will
Liu Baisha
Nana's Teammate
Known for
Only the River Flows
Zhao Wenhao
Coach Driver
Known for
White Vengeance
Sacrifice
Li Yusheng
The Groom
Known for
Red Sorghum
Anthony Chen Director · Kin Leonn Composer Yu Jing-pin Cinematographer
Worldwide gross $2.9M · United States release January 19, 2024 · Produced in China, Singapore
Box office
Worldwide gross
$2,900,000
Production
Canopy Pictures
Production
Huace Media
Production
Giraffe Pictures
Production
Huace Pictures (Tianjing)
Production
China · Singapore
Produced in
Languages
Original title
燃冬
Original language
Chinese
Spoken on screen
Chinese · Korean
Release dates
France · May 21, 2023
Premiere · Cannes Film Festival
China · August 22, 2023
Theatrical
United States · January 19, 2024
Limited theatrical
United States · May 1, 2024
Digital
United States
October 26, 2023 · Premiere · Philadelphia Film Festival
November 3, 2023 · Premiere · Denver Film Festival
Australia
August 13, 2023 · Premiere · Melbourne International Film Festival
Brazil
October 6, 2023 · Premiere · Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival
Bulgaria
October 7, 2025 · Premiere · OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival: Bulgarian Edition
Canada
September 7, 2023 · Premiere · Toronto International Film Festival
China
October 10, 2023 · Digital
Finland
March 15, 2024 · Premiere · Helsinki Cine Aasia
France
November 22, 2023 · Theatrical
March 22, 2024 · Physical · Blu-ray
Greece
November 10, 2023 · Premiere · Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Hong Kong SAR China
October 22, 2023 · Premiere · Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
November 9, 2023 · Theatrical
India
October 27, 2023 · Premiere · Jio MAMI Film Festival
Indonesia
October 29, 2023 · Premiere · Jakarta Film Week
Italy
March 13, 2025 · Theatrical
Japan
October 18, 2024 · Theatrical
Philippines
November 26, 2023 · Premiere · QCinema International Film Festival
Poland
October 6, 2023 · Premiere · Warsaw Film Festival
Singapore
September 7, 2023 · Theatrical
South Korea
May 6, 2024 · Premiere · Jeonju International Film Festival
June 4, 2025 · Theatrical
Sweden
November 16, 2023 · Premiere · Stockholm International Film Festival
Taiwan
November 16, 2023 · Premiere · Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
Ukraine
September 7, 2025 · Premiere · OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival: Ukrainian Edition
More from Anthony Chen
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Some details come from TheTVDB.