Society of the Snow, an original Netflix film set in the Andes Mountains, recounts the 1972 crash of Flight 571—an incident that would go on to be referred to as the “Miracle of the Andes.” It serves as a timely reminder that reality may be stranger than fiction.
The terrifying tale of survival in Society of the Snow is based on Pablo Vierci’s novel of the same name, La Sociedad de la Nieve in its original Spanish. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was the subject of the highly praised film The Impossible, which director J.A. Bayona had prior experience helming.
Take note: this film has been officially selected by Spain to compete for the Best International Film Oscar in 2024. Here you will find all the information you want on Society of the Snow, including the release date, cast, and first glimpses at the film.
Society of the Snow Release Date
Presently, December is shaping up to be the launch month for Society of the Snow at select cinemas. After a successful theatrical run, the film will be available to watch on Netflix beginning January 4, 2024. This film had its international debut at the Palazzo del Cinema on September 9, 2023, after the festival’s awards ceremony, and it served as the closing feature of the 80th Venice International Film Festival.
Furthermore, the drama was included in the Out of Competition section of both the 2023 AFI Fest and the 56th Sitges Film Festival. The film will also have a theatrical release in Spain on December 15, 2023.
About Society of the Snow
Based on the real-life events of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, Vierci’s book Society of the Snow serves as an adaptation. The scheduled departure date for the Montevideo rugby team’s flight from Uruguay to Santiago, Chile, for their October 13, 1971, encounter, never materialized.
Yet, just as they were about to reach their goal, the jet plummeted into the snow-capped Andes. On impact, twelve lives were lost, and many more were wounded. After 72 days of searching, just 16 individuals were recovered, however, 29 survived for another day.
One of the tragic plane’s passengers, Numa Turcatti of Uruguay’s Old Christians Club rugby club, will tell much of the story in the Netflix adaption. Society of the Snow highlights the dire circumstances, but it also aims to convey a message about the incredible strength of the human spirit when confronted with mortality.
Society of the Snow Cast
- Enzo Vogrincic Roldán as Numa Turcatti
- Matías Recalt as Roberto Canessa
- Agustín Pardella as Nando Parrado
- Esteban Kukuriczka as Adolfo “Fito” Strauch
- Francisco Romero as Daniel Fernández Strauch
- Tomas Wolf as Gustavo Zerbino
- Diego Vegezzi as Marcelo Pérez del Castillo
- Simón Hempe as José Luis “Coche” Inciarte
- Fernando Contigiani García as Arturo Nogueira
- Benjamín Segura as Rafael “el Vasco” Echavarren
- Rafael Federman as Eduardo Strauch
- Felipe González Otaño as Carlitos Páez
- Agustín Della Corte as Antonio “Tintín” Vizintín
- Valentino Alonso as Alfredo “Pancho” Delgado
- Juan Caruso as Álvaro Mangino
- Andy Pruss as Roy Harley
- Rocco Posca as Ramón “Moncho” Sabella
- Luciano Chatton as Pedro Algorta
- Agustín Berruti as Bobby François
Society of the Snow: Is it based on a real story?
Indeed, the 1972 Andes aircraft catastrophe in Uruguay is the subject of Society of the Snow. On October 13, 1972, a rugby union team from the Old Christians Club—among the 45 passengers and crew—died when Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes Mountains.
A narrative of survival unfolded over the next 72 days, culminating in the rescue of 16 individuals. The film is based on the terrifying real tale of Roberto Canessa and Fernando Parrado, two survivors who went on a 38-mile journey without any supplies over the course of ten days. Fourteen people are still with us now out of the sixteen who survived the disaster.
Society of the Snow Filming Locations
The Sierra Nevada in Andalucía, Spain, Montevideo in Uruguay, and several places in the Andes in Chile and Argentina, including El Valle de las Lágrimas, where the events really occurred, will all play host to the filming of Netflix’s Society of the Snow. Production started on November 29, 2021, and wrapped up on January 29, 2022.
Society of the Snow Trailer
August 24 saw the debut of Society of the Snow’s official teaser trailer on Netflix. The brief preview, which clocks in at a little over a minute, does nothing more than set the stage for the terrifying plot.
Society of the Snow’s second teaser trailer was published by Netflix on October 20. This little footage vividly portrays the difference between the joy and anxiety felt by the Uruguayan rugby team, the Old Christians Club, as they board Flight 571 and the imminent disaster.
Everything goes silent only seconds before the plane crashes into the Andes. The disaster has hushed any indications of disturbance, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the horrific consequences that will follow.
Society of the Snow’s complete trailer debuted on Netflix on November 27, 2023.