Grace goes to live in Canberra with a well-meaning couple whose interests include self-help books, laughing clubs and leaving keys in bowls. To deal with her loneliness, Grace begins hoarding ornamental snails, guinea pigs and romance novels while indulging in Chiko Rolls. It’s to the garden snail Sylvia that Grace tells her story and where Memoir of a Snail gets its name. Over 3000 components were handmade to create Grace’s hoard. The hoarding aspect of the film is inspired by filmmaker Adam Elliot’s experience helping his mother downsize her belongings. He then studied hoarding and found that it often results from trauma and loss, such as Grace experiences in the film.
Memoir of a Snail opens in cinemas October 17, 2024.
Academy Award®-winning director Adam Elliot introduces us to the clay people and places that feature in his latest film.
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Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
On display until
1 November 2026
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
LN196845
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Worlds → MW-04. Stop Motion Animation
Object Types
Film Production Props
Materials
Original sets, puppets and props