Since its world premiere in Cannes through October 2025, the film screened in 20 international film festivals and received numerous accolades including the 3rd prize (ex aequo) in the Festival de Cannes La Cinef section, the Animist Tallinn Grand Prix, the Oscar-qualifying Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film at Sarajevo Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the Siam International Animation Festival (Thailand). Shortly after, the Audience Award in the International Competition at Switzerland’s Fantoche - International Festival for Animated Film, the Grand Prix in the Student Film category at the Taichung International Animation Festival (Taiwan), and an Honorable Mention for Best Short Film at the Philadelphia Film Festival, among others.

Winter in March tells the story of a young Russian couple who, unable to reconcile with their homeland’s aggression, decide to leave. Based on interviews with friends who fled Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, the film explores the moral and emotional toll of emigration.

The film was produced by Rebel Frame (Estonia) and ArtStep Studio (Armenia), in coproduction with the Estonian Academy of Arts, Black Boat Pictures (France), and White Boat Pictures (Belgium), with support from the Estonian Film Institute, the Estonian Cultural Endowment, and the Cinema Foundation of Armenia.

Natalia Mirzoyan is an animation director and artist based in Estonia, originally from Yerevan, Armenia. She holds a Master’s degree in Animation from the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA). Her films, including My Childhood Mystery Tree (2009), Chinti (2012), Five Minutes to Sea (2018), and Merry Grandmas (2020), have been selected for numerous prestigious festivals, such as Berlinale, Annecy, Animafest Zagreb, and Hiroshima, earning her multiple awards. Winter in March (2025) is her first puppet animation film.

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