Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.
Stepping back in time, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before the events of the 2012 film. In Panem, the noble Snow family patriarch, General Crassus, dies during the First Rebellion with the Districts. Thirteen years later, Crassus’ 18-year-old son Coriolanus determines to restore his family’s prosperity. Coriolanus is among 24 mentors in the 10th Annual Hunger Games. To increase viewership, Dean Casca Highbottom, who created the Hunger Games, wants to focus on tributes entertaining viewers rather than winning.
Coriolanus is selected to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, the District 12 female tribute. During the reaping ceremony, Lucy Gray charms Capitol viewers by singing and slipping a snake into the mayor’s daughter’s dress. Coriolanus wants Lucy Gray to continue garnering viewers’ favour, as the best-performing mentor is promised a fortune. He later earns Lucy Gray’s trust and helps her win the Capitol citizens’ sympathy – can Snow turn the odds in their favour?
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is screening at Ballina and Byron Bay Palace Cinemas this week.
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